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(Breat Commanbera 

EDITED BY JAMES GRANT WILSON 



GENERAL SCOTT 



XTbe (Breat Commanders Series. 


Edited by General James Grant Wilson. 


Admiral Farragut. 


By Captain A. T. Mahan, U. S. N. 


General Taylor. 


By General O. O. Howard, U. S, A. 


General Jackson. By James Parton. 


General Greene. 


By Captain Francis V. Greene, U. S. A. 


General J. E. Johnston. 


By Robert M. Hughes, of Virginia. 


General Thomas. 


By Henry Coppee, LL. D. 


General Scott. 


By General Marcus J. Wright. 


IN PREPARATION. 


General Washington. 


By General Bradley T. Johnson. 


General Sherman. 


By General Manning F. Force. 


General Grant. 


By General James Grant Wilson. 


Admiral Porter. 


By James R. Soley, late Assist. Sec. of Navy. 


General Lee. 


By General Fitzhugh Lee. 


General Hancock. 


By General Francis A. Walker. 


General Sheridan. 


By General Henry E. Davies. 


Each, i2mn, cloth, with Portrait and Maps, $1.50. 


New York : D. Appleton & Co., i, 3, & 5 Bond St. 



GREAT COMMANDERS 
• • • • 



GENERAL SCOTT 



BY y 

General MARCUS J, WRIGHT 




JAf 13 1894 

NEW YORK 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1894 






Copyright, 1893, 
By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 



A// rights reserved. 



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PREFACE 



In the preparation of this volume the author has 
consulted and used with freedom the following- 
named works : History of the Mexican War, by Gen- 
eral Cadmus M. Wilcox ; Autobiography of General 
Scott ; Life of General Scott, by Edward D. Mans- 
field ; Life of General Scott, by David Hunter 
Strother ; Life of General Scott, by J. T. Headley ; 
History of the Mexican War, by John S. Jenkins; 
Anecdotes of the Civil War, by General E. D. Town- 
send ; Sketches of Illustrious Soldiers, by General 
James Grant Wilson ; Fifty Years' Observation of 
Men and Things, by General E. D. Keyes ; Reminis- 
cences of Thurlow Weed, and Historical Register 
of the United States Army, by F. B. Heitman. 

My thanks are. due to Mr. David Fitzgerald, Li- 
brarian of the War Department ; Mr. Andrew H. 
Allen, Librarian of the State Department ; and Col- 
onel John B. Brownlow, for many courtesies. I am 
specially indebted to Mr. John N. Oliver, of Wash- 
ington city, for valuable assistance rendered me. 

M. J. W. 

Washington, August, iSgj- 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Parentage and birth of Scott— Precocity— Enters William 
and Mary College— Leaves college and commences the 
study of law with Judge Robinson— Attends the trial of 
Burr at Richmond— Impressment of American seamen 
and proclamation of President Jefferson— Joins the Pe- 
tersburg troop— Leaves for Charleston— Returns to Pe- 
tersburg—Appointed captain of artillery — Trial of Gen- 
eral Wilkinson— Scott sends in his resignation, but with- 
draws it and returns to Natchez — Is court-martialed — 
On staff duty at New Orleans— Declaration of war with 
Great Britain — General Wade Hampton and the Secre- 
tary of War — Hull's surrender — Storming of Queenstown 
— March to Lewiston — Scott's appeal to the officers and 
soldiers — Indians fire on a flag of truce— Incident with a 
Caledonian priest— Letter in relation to Irish prisoners 
sent home to be tried for treason I 



CHAPTER 11. 

Scott ordered to Philadelphia — Appointed adjutant general 
with the rank of colonel — Becomes chief of staff to Gen- 
eral Dearborn— Death of General Pike— Leads the ad- 
vance on Fort Niagara— Anecdote of Scott and a British 
colonel— Commands the expedition to Burlington Heights 
—March for Sackett's Harbor — Meets a force at Corn- 
wall — Retreat of Wilkinson— Scott appointed brigadier 
general — Attack on and surrender of Fort Erie — Battle 



viii GENERAL SCOTT. 

PAGB 

of Chippewa — Lundy's Lane and wounding of Scott — 
Retreat of the army to Black Rock — Fort Erie — ^Visits 
Europe . . .23 

CHAPTER IlL 

Is received and entertained by prominent civilians and mili- 
tary men in Europe — Marries Miss Mayo — Offspring — 
Thanks of Congress — Thanks of the Virginia Legislature 
voted, and also a sword — Controversy with General An- 
drew Jackson and correspondence — Prepares general 
regulations for the army and militia — Controversy with 
General Gaines and the War Department about rank 
— In command of the Eastern Division — War with the 
Sac and Fox Indians — Black Hawk — Cholera breaks 
out among the troops 41 

CHAPTER IV, 

Troubles in South Carolina growing out of the tariff acts ap- 
prehended, and General Scott sent South — Action of the 
nullifiers— Instructions in case of an outbreak — Action of 
the South Carolina Legislature 60 

CHAPTER V. 

Events that led to the war in Florida— Treaty of Camp 
Moultrie and its stipulations — Complaints of Indians 
and whites — Treaty of Payne's Landing — Objections of 
the Indians to complying with the latter treaty— Councils 
and talks with the Seminoles—Assiola— Murder of mail 
carrier Dalton — Murder of Charley Amathla — Dade's 
massacre — Murder of General Thompson and others — 
General Clinch— Depredations by the Indians on the 
whites and by the latter on the Indians — Volunteers — 
Military departments of Gaines and Scott . . .72 

CHAPTER VI. 

Review of the army by General Gaines — Arrival of General 
Gaines at Fort King — Lieutenant Izard mortally wound- 



CONTENTS. ix 

PAGE 

ed — Correspondence between General Gaines and Clinch 
— General Scott ordered to command in Florida — Dis- 
advantages under which he labored — Preparations for 
movements — Commencement of hostilities against the 
Indians 103 

CHAPTER VII. 

Scott prefers complaint against General Jesup — Court of in- 
quiry ordered by the President — Scott fully exonerated 
by the court — Complaints of citizens — Difficulties of the 
campaign — Speech in Congress of Hon. Richard Biddle 
- — Scott declines an invitation to a dinner in New York 
city — Resolutions of the subscribers — Scott is ordered to 
take charge of and remove the Cherokee Indians — Orders 
issued to troops and address to the Indians — Origin of 
the Cherokee Indian troubles — Collision threatened be- 
tween Maine and New Brunswick, and Scott sent there 
— Correspondence with Lieutenant-Governor Harvey- 
Seizure of Navy Island by Van Rensselaer — Governor 
Marcy 122 

CHAPTER VIIL 

Annexation of Texas — Causes that led to annexation — Mes- 
sage of the President — General Scott's letters regarding 
William Henry Harrison — Efforts to reduce General 
Scott's pay — Letter to T. P. Atkinson on the slavery 
question — Battle* of Palo Alto, and of Resaca de la 
Palma, Monterey, and Buena Vista — " The hasty plate of 
soup " — Scott's opinion of General Taylor — Scott ordered 
to Mexico — Proposal to revive the grade of lieuten- 
ant general, and to appoint Thomas H. Benton — Scott 
reaches the Brazos Santiago — Confidential dispatch froni 
Scott to Taylor — Co-operation of the navy — Letters to 
the Secretary of War as to places of rendezvous — Arrival 
and landing at Vera Cruz, and its investment, siege, and 
capture — Letter to foreign consuls — Terms of surrender 
— Orders .of General Scott after the surrender . . . 149 



GENERAL SGOTT. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PAGE 

General Santa Anna arrives at Cerro Gordo — Engagement at 
Atalaya — General Orders No. iii — Reports from Jalapa 
— Report of engagement at Cerro Gordo — Occupation of 
Perote— Account of a Mexican historian — General Santa 
Anna's letter to General Arroya — Delay of the Govern- 
ment in sending re-enforcements — Danger of commu- 
nications with Vera Cruz — Troops intended for Scott 
ordered to General Taylor — Colonel Childs appointed 
governor of Jalapa — Occupation of Puebla — Arrival of 
re-enforcements — Number of Scott's force . . .175 

CHAPTER X. 

Movement tovi^ard the City of Mexico — The Duke of Welling- 
ton's comments — Movements of Santa Anna — A commis- 
sion meets General Worth to treat for terms — Worth 
enters Puebla — Civil administration of the city not inter- 
fered with — Scott arrives at Puebla — Scott's address to 
the Mexicans after the battle of Cerro Gordo — Contreras 
— Reconnoissance of the pedregal — Defeat of the Mexi- 
cans at Contreras — Battle of Churubusco — Arrival of 
Nicholas P. Trist, commissioner — General Scott meets a 
deputation proposing an armistice — He addresses a com- 
munication to the head of the Mexican Government — 
Appointment of a commission to meet Mr, Trist — Major 
Lally — Meeting of Mr. Trist with the Mexican commis- 
sioners — Failure to agree — Armistice violated by the 
Mexicans and notice from General Scott — Santa Anna's 
insolent note — The latter calls a meeting of his principal 
officers — Molino del Rey — Chapultepec — Losses on both 
sides ig5 



CHAPTER XL 

General Quitman's movements to San Antonio and Coyoacan 
— Movements of General Pillow — General reconnois- 
sance by Scott — Chapultepec — Scott announces his line 



CONTENTS. xi 

PAGE 

of attack — Surrender of the Mexican General Bravo — 
Preparations to move on the capital — Entry of General 
vScott into the City of Mexico — General Quitman made 
Military Governor — General Scott's orders — Movements 
of Santa Anna — General Lane — American and Mexican 
deserters — Orders as to collection of duties and civil 
government 223 

CHAPTER XII. 

Scott's care for the welfare of his army — Account of the 
money levied on Mexico — Last note to the Secretary 
of War while commander in chief in Mexico — Army 
asylums — Treaty of peace — Scott turns over the army to 
General William O, Butler — Scott and W^orth — Court of 
inquiry on W^orth — The " Leonidas " and " Tampico " 
letters — Revised paragraph 650 — Army regulations — Gen- 
eral Worth demands a court of inquiry and prefers 
charges against Scott — Correspondence — General belief 
as to Scott's removal command — The trial — Return 
home of General Scott 254 

CHAPTER XIII. 

General Taylor nominated for the presidency — Thanks of 
Congress to Scott, and a gold medal voted — Movement 
to revive and confer upon Scott the brevet rank of lieu- 
tenant general — Scott's views as to the annexation of 
Canada — Candidate for President in 1852 and defeated 
— Scott's diplomatic mission to Canada in 1859 — Mutter- 
ings of civil war— Letters and notes to President Bu- 
chanan — Arrives in W^ashington, December 12, 1861 — 
Note to the Secretary of War — " Wayward sisters " letter 
— Events preceding inauguration of Mr. Lincoln — Prep- 
aration for the defense of Washington — Scott's loyalty — 
Battle of Bull Run — Scott and McClellan — Free naviga- 
tion of the Mississippi River — Retirement of General 
Scott and affecting incidents connected therewith — Mes- 
sage of President Lincoln — McClellan on Scott — Mount 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



CHAPTER I. 

Parentage and birth of Scott — Precocity — Enters William and 
Mary College — Leaves college and commences the study of 
law with Judge Robinson — Attends the trial of Burr at Rich- 
mond — Impressment of American seamen and proclamation 
of President Jefferson — Joins the Petersburg troop — Leaves for 
Charleston — Returns to Petersburg — Appointed captain of ar- 
tillery — Trial of General Wilkinson — Scott sends in his resig- 
nation, but withdraws it and returns to Natchez — Is court- 
martialed — On staff duty at New Orleans — Declaration of 
war with Great Britain — General Wade Hampton and the 
Secretary of War — Hull's surrender — Storming of Queenstown 
— March to Lewiston — Scott's appeal to the officers and sol- 
diers — Indians fire on a flag of truce — Incident with a Cale- 
donian priest — Letter in relation to Irish prisoners sent home 
to be tried for treason. 

WiNFiELD Scott was born at Laurel Branch, the 
estate of his father, fourteen miles from Petersburg, 
Dinwiddle County, Virginia, June 13, 1786. His 
grandfather, James Scott, was a Scotchman of the 
Clan Buccleuch, and a follower of the Pretender 
to the throne of England, who, escaping from the 
defeat at Culloden, made his way to Virginia in 1746, 
where he settled. William, the son of this James, 
married Ann Mason, a native of Dinwiddle County 
and a neighbor of the Scott family. Winfield Scott 
was the issue of this marriage. There were an elder 



2 GENERAL SCOTT. 

brother and two daughters. T^fl*^ Scott died at an 
early age, when Winfield was but six years old. 
William, the father of Winfield, was a lieutenant and 
afterward captain in a Virginia company which 
served in the Revolutionary army. Eleven years 
after the father's death the mother died, leaving Win- 
field, at seventeen years old, to make his own way in 
the world. 

At the death of his father, Winfield, being but six 
years old, was left to the charge of his mother, to 
whom he was devotedly attached. It is a well-war- 
ranted tradition of the county in which the Scott fam- 
ily resided, that the mother of General Scott was a 
woman of superior mind and great force of character. 
In acknowledging the inspiration from the lessons 
of that admirable parent for whatever of success he 
achieved, he was not unlike Andrew Jackson and 
the majority of the great men of the world. He 
WTOte of her in his mature age as follows: "And if, 
in my now protracted career, I have achieved any- 
thing worthy of being written, anything that my 
countrymen are likely to honor in the next century, 
it is from the lessons of that admirable parent that I 
derived the inspiration." 

In his seventh year he was ordered on a Sunday 
morning to get ready for church. Disobeying the 
order, he ran off and concealed himself, but was pur- 
sued, captured, and returned to his mother, who at 
once sent for a switch. The switch was a limb from 
a Lombardy poplar, and the precocious little truant, 
seeing this, quoted a verse from St. Matthew which 
was from a lesson he had but recently read to his 
mother. The quotation was as follows: " Every tree 
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, 



HIS MOTHER AND FAMILY. 3 

and cast into the fire." The quotation was so apt 
that the punishment was withheld, but the offender 
was not spared a very wholesome lesson. 

General Scott's mother, Ann, was the daughter of 
Daniel Mason and Elizabeth Winfield, his wife, who 
was the daughter of John Winfield, a man of high 
standing and large wealth. From his mother's family 
he acquired his baptismal name of Winfield. John 
Winfield survived his daughter, and dying intestate, 
in 1774, Winfield Mason acquired by descent as the 
eldest male heir (the law of primogeniture then be- 
ing the law of Virginia) the whole of a landed estate 
and a portion of the personal property. The princi- 
pal part of this large inheritance was devised to Win- 
field Scott, but, the devisee having married again and 
had issue, the will was abrogated. The wife of Win- 
field Mason was the daughter of Dr. James Green- 
way, a near neighbor. He was born in England, near 
the borders of Scotland, and inherited his father's 
trade, that of a weaver. He was ambitious and stu- 
dious, and giving all of his spare time to study, he 
became familiar with the Greek, Latin, French, and 
Italian languages. After his immigration to Vir- 
ginia he prepared himself for the practice of medi- 
cine, and soon acquired a large and lucrative prac- 
tice. He devoted much of his time to botany, and 
left a hortus siccus of forty folio volumes, in which 
he described the more interesting plants of Virginia 
and North Carolina. He was honored by member- 
ships in several of the learned European societies, 
and was a correspondent of the celebrated Swedish 
naturalist Linn8eus. He acquired such a knowledge 
of music as enabled him to become teacher to his 
own children. 
2 



4 GENERAL SCOTT. 

James Hargrave, a Quaker, was one of young 
Scott's earliest teachers. He found his pupil to be 
a lad of easy excitement and greatly inclined to 
be belligerent. He tried very hard to tone him 
down and teach him to govern his temper. On one 
occasion young Scott, being in Petersburg and pass- 
ing on a crowded street, found his Quaker teacher, 
who was a non-combatant, engaged in a dispute with 
a noted bully. Hargrave was the county surveyor, 
and this fellow charged him with running a false 
dividing line. When Scott heard the charge he felled 
the bully to the ground with one blow of his fist. He 
recovered and advanced on Scott, when Hargrave 
placed himself between them and received the blow 
intended for Scott ; but the bully was again knocked 
to the ground by the strong arm of Scott. Many 
years afterward (in 1816) Scott met his Quaker 
friend and former teacher, who said to him : " Friend 
Winfield, I always told thee not to fight ; but as thou 
wouldst fight, I am glad that thou wert not beaten." 

His next instructor was James Ogilvie, a Scotch- 
man, who was a man of extraordinary endowments 
and culture. Scott spent a year under his tutelage 
at Richmond, and entered, in 1805, William and Mary 
College. Here he gave special attention to the 
study of civil and international law, besides chem- 
istry, natural and experimental philosophy, and com- 
mon law. At about the age of nineteen he left 
William and Mary College and entered the law 
office of Judge David Robinson in Petersburg as a 
student. 

Robinson had emigrated from Scotland to Vir- 
ginia at the request of Scott's grandfather, who 
employed him as a private tutor in his family. 



TRIAL OF AARON BURR. 



5 



There were two other students in Mr. Robinson's 
office with Scott — Thomas Ruffin and John F. May. 
Ruffin became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 
of North Carolina, and May the leading lawyer in 
southern Virginia. After he had received his license 
to practice he rode the circuit, and was engaged in 
a number of causes. He was present at the cele- 
brated trial of Aaron Burr for treason, and was 
greatly impressed with Luther Martin, John Wick- 
ham, Benjamin Botts, and William Wirt, the leading 
lawyers in the case. Here he also met Commo- 
dore Truxton, General Andrew Jackson, Washington 
Irving, John Randolph, Littleton W. Tazewell, Wil- 
liam B. Giles, John Taylor of Caroline, and other 
distinguished persons. 

Aaron Burr was a native of Newark, N. J., and 
was the grandson of the celebrated Jonathan Ed- 
wards. He graduated at Princeton in September, 
1772, and studied law, but in 1775 joined the Ameri- 
can army near Boston. Accompanied Colonel Bene- 
dict Arnold in the expedition to Quebec, and ac- 
quired such reputation that he was made a major; 
afterward joined General Washington's staff, and 
subsequently was an aid to General Putnam. Pro- 
moted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, he com- 
manded a detachment which defeated the British at 
Hackensack, and distinguished himself at Monmouth. 
Burr became Vice-President on the election of Jef- 
ferson as President, and was involved in a quarrel 
with Alexander Hamilton, and killed him in a duel 
at Weehawken, N. J., July 7, 1804. This affair was 
fatal to his future prospects. In 1805 he floated in 
a boat from Pittsburg to New Orleans. His purpose 
was supposed to be to collect an army and conquer 



6 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Mexico and Texas, and establish a government of 
which he should be the head. He purchased a large 
tract of land on the Wachita River, and made other 
arrangements looking to the consummation of his 
object. Colonel Burr was arrested and tried for 
treason in Richmond in 1807, but was acquitted. 
He died on Staten Island, September 14, 1836. 

In May, 1807, the British frigate Leopard board- 
ed the Chesapeake in Virginia waters and forcibly- 
carried off some of her crew, who were claimed as 
British subjects. Mr. Jefferson, President of the 
United States, at once issued a proclamation prohib- 
iting all British war vessels from entering our har- 
bors. Great excitement was produced throughout 
the entire country. The day after the issuance of 
the President's proclamation the Petersburg (Va.) 
troop of cavalry tendered its services to the Govern- 
ment, and young Scott, riding twenty-five miles dis- 
tant from Petersburg, enlisted as a member. He 
was placed in a detached camp near Lynn Haven 
Bay, opposite where the British squadron was at 
anchor. Sir Thomas Hardy was the ranking officer 
in command of several line of battle ships. Learn- 
ing that an expedition from the squadron had gone 
out on an excursion, Scott, in charge of a small 
detachment, was sent to intercept them. He suc- 
ceeded in capturing two midshipmen and six sailors, 
and brought them into camp. The capture was not 
approved by the authorities, and the prisoners were 
ordered to be released, and restored to Admiral Sir 
Thomas Hardy. 

The prospect of a war with Great Britain had 
abated, and the affair of the Chesapeake being in 
train of settlement, Scott left Virginia in October, 



GOES TO SOUTH CAROLINA. 7 

1807, and proceeded to Charleston, S. C, with a view 
of engaging in the practice of law. The law of that 
State required a residence of twelve months before 
admission to the bar. Scott went to Columbia, 
where the Legislature was in session, and applied 
for a special act permitting him to practice. The 
application failed for want of time. He then pro- 
ceeded to Charleston, with a view of office practice 
until he could be qualified for the usual practice in 
the courts; but the prospect of war being again im- 
minent, he went to Washington, and on the applica- 
tion and recommendation of Hon. William B. Giles, 
of Virginia, President Jefferson promised him a cap- 
tain's commission in the event of hostilities. No act 
of war occurruig, he returned in March, 1808, to 
Petersburg, and resumed the practice of law in that 
circuit; but his life as a lawyer came suddenly to 
a close in the succeeding month of May, when he 
received from the President his commission as cap- 
tain of artillery. He recruited his company in 
Petersburg and Richmond, and ernbarked from Nor- 
folk to New Orleans, February 4, 1809. 

It being thought that on the breaking out of hos- 
tilities the British would at once endeavor to invade 
Louisiana, a military force was sent to New Orleans 
under the command of General James Wilkinson. 
The discipline of the army became greatly impaired, 
and much sickness and many deaths occurred in this 
command. General Wilkinson was ordered to Wash- 
ington for an investigation into his conduct as com- 
manding officer, and General Wade Hampton suc- 
ceeded to the command. The camp below New 
Orleans was broken up in June, 1809, and the troops 
were transferred to and encamped near Natchez. 



8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

General Wilkinson was charged with complicity 
with Aaron Burr, and with being in the pay of the 
Spanish Government, and was tried by court-martial ; 
and although he was acquitted, there were many 
persons who believed him guilty, and among these 
was Captain Scott, who was present, as heretofore 
mentioned, at the trial of Burr, and participated 
in the strong feeling which it produced throughout 
the country. 

The apparent lull in the war feeling having pro- 
duced the impression that there would be no hostile 
movements. Captain Scott forwarded his resigna- 
tion and sailed for Virginia, intending to re-engage 
in the practice of the law. Before his resignation 
had been accepted he received information that 
grave charges would be preferred against him should 
he return to the army at Natchez. This determined 
him to return at once to his post and meet the 
charges. Scott had openly given it as his opin- 
ion that General Wilkinson was equally guilty with 
Colonel Burr. Soon after his return he was arrested 
and tried by a court-martial at Washington, near 
Natchez, in January, 1810. The first charge was for 
"conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman," 
and the specification was "in withholding at sundry 
times men's money placed in his possession for their 
payment for the months of September and October." 
Another charge was " ungentlemanly and unofficer- 
like conduct," the specification being "In saying, 
between the ist of December and the ist of January, 
i8o9-'io, at a public table in Washington, Mississippi 
Territory, that ' he never saw but two traitors — Gen- 
eral Wilkinson and Burr — and that General Wilkin- 
son was a liar and a scoundrel.' " This charge was 



GENERAL WILKINSON PREFERS CHARGES. g 

based on the sixth article of war, which says: "Any 
officer who shall behave himself with contempt and 
disrespect toward his commanding officer shall be 
punished, according to the nature of the offense, by 
the judgment of a court-martial." 

Captain Scott's defense to this charge was that 
General Wilkinson was not, at the time the words 
were charged to have been spoken, his commanding 
officer, that place being filled by General Wade 
Hampton, General Scott, in his Memoirs, says that 
some of Wilkinson's partisans had heard him say in 
an excited conversation that he knew, soon after 
Burr's trial, from his friends Mr. Randolph and Mr. 
Tazewell and others, members of the grand jury, 
who found the bill of indictment against Burr, that 
nothing but the influence of Mr. Jefferson had saved 
Wilkinson from being included in the same indict- 
ment, and that he believed Wilkinson to have been 
equally a traitor with Burr. He admits that the ex- 
pression of that belief was not only imprudent, but 
no doubt at that time blamable. But this was not the 
declaration on which he was to be tried. This was 
uttered in New Orleans, the headquarters of General 
Wilkinson. The utterance on which he was tried, 
as will be seen, was made in Washington, Mississippi 
Territory, when General Wade Hampton was his 
commanding officer. 

The finding of the Court on this charge was guilty, 
and that his conduct was unofficerlike. The facts in 
regard to the charge of retaining money belonging to 
the men of his command were, that prior to his de- 
parture for New Orleans he had recruited his com- 
pany in Virginia, and, being remote from a pay- 
master or quartermaster, a sum of four hundred dol- 



lO GENERAL SCOTT. 

lars was placed in his hands to be used in recruiting. 
Some of his vouchers were technically irregular, and 
at the time of his trial about fifty dollars was not 
covered by formal vouchers. This was the finding 
of the Court, but it expressly acquitted him of all 
fraudulent intentions. General Wilkinson nursed 
his wrath, and after the close of the war published 
an attack on General Scott. His own failure in the 
campaign of 1813, and especially his defeat at La Gale 
Mills, compared with Scott's brilliant campaign on the 
Niagara frontier in the following spring, may have 
induced this attack. 

Captain Scott returned to Virginia after the trial, 
and under the advice of his friend, the distinguished 
lawyer and statesman, Benjamin Watkins Leigh, he 
devoted himself to the study of military works and 
of English attack. During the time mentioned he 
wrote a letter to Lewis Edwards, Esq., at Washing- 
ton City, of which he following is a copy: 

" Petersburg, June, 181 1. 
" Dear Sir : I believe we have very little village 
news to give you, nor do I know what would please 
you in that way. Of myself — that person who has so 
large a space in every man's own imagination, and 
so small a one in the imagination of every other — I 
can say but little; perhaps less would please you 
more. Since my return to Virginia my time has been 
passed in easy transitions from pleasure to study, 
from study to pleasure; in my gayety forgetting the 
student, in the student forgetting my gayety.* I 
have generally been in the office of my friend Mr. 

* " If idle, be not solitary ; if solitary, be not idle." An apo- 
thegm of Burton paraphrased by Johnson, " My Motto." 



JOINS THE ARMY AT BATON ROUGE. n 

Leigh, though not unmindful of the studies con- 
nected with my present profession; but you will 
easily conceive my military ardor has suffered abate- 
ment. Indeed, it is my design, as soon as circum- 
stances will permit, to throw the feather out of my 
cap and resume it in my hand. Yet, should war come 
at last, my enthusiasm will be rekindled, and then 
who knows but that I may yet write my history with 
my sword ? Yours truly, 

"WiNFiELD Scott." 

Scott rejoined the army at Baton Rouge, La., in 
1811, and was soon appointed Judge Advocate on 
the trial of a colonel charged with gross negligence 
in discipline and administration. By dilatory pleas 
this officer had several times escaped justice, but on 
this trial he was found guilty and censured. In the 
winter of i8ii-'i2 Scott was frequently on staff duty 
with General Wade Hampton at New Orleans, and 
while there saw the first steam vessel that ever 
floated on the Mississippi. 

On May 20, 1812, Captain Scott embarked at 
New Orleans for Washington via Baltimore, accom- 
panying General Hampton and Lieutenant Charles 
K. Gardner. As the vessel on which they had taken 
passage entered near the Capes of Virginia it passed 
a British frigate lying off the bar. In a short time 
they met a Hampton pilot boat going out to sea. This 
was on June 29th, and this pilot boat bore dispatches 
to Mr. Mansfield, the British Minister at Washing- 
ton, announcing that Congress had -two days before 
declared war against Great Britain. The vessel bear- 
ing Captain Scott and his companions went aground 
about sixteen miles from Baltimore, and he and 



12 GENERAL SCOTT. 

some others undertook the remainder of the journey- 
on foot. At the end of the fourth mile they passed 
an enthusiastic militia meeting which had just re- 
ceived a copy of the declaration of war.- Scott, having 
on a uniform, was made the hero of the occasion, and 
was chosen to read the declaration to the meeting. 
He was here offered a seat in a double gig to Balti- 
more, but the driver, who had become intoxicated, 
overturned the gig twice, when Scott took the reins 
and drove the latter part of the journey. On his ar- 
rival at Baltimore he received the pleasing intelli- 
gence that he had been appointed a lieutenant colo- 
nel in the United States army. He was then in his 
twenty-sixth year. 

He went with General Hampton to Washington, 
where the general asked him to accompany him 
on an official visit to the Secretary of War. An un- 
pleasant correspondence had a short time previously 
occurred between the general and the secretary, yet 
he felt it his duty to make the call. On General 
Hampton's name being announced to the secretary 
the latter appeared at the door and extended his 
hand, while General Hampton simply bowed and 
crossed his hands behind him. A conversation on 
official matters was held, at first formal and cold, but 
gradually terminating in one of a friendly character. 
W^hen General Hampton rose to leave he extended 
to the secretary both of his hands; but it was now 
the latter's turn, and he bowed and placed his hands 
behind him. General Hampton sent a challenge to 
mortal combat, but mutual friends settled the mat- 
ter without bloodshed, by requiring that Hampton 
should on the next morning present himself at the 
secretary's door with both hands extended in the 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 13 

presence of the same persons who witnessed the for- 
mer meeting. Colonel Scott was now ordered to 
Philadelphia to mobilize his regiment and organ- 
ize a camp of instruction. On his own solicitation, 
he was soon afterward ordered to report to Briga- 
dier-General Alexander Smyth, near Buffalo, N. Y. 

The Congress of the United States made formal 
declaration of war against Great Britain and its 
dependencies June 18, 1812. In the month previous 
General William Hull had been appointed to the 
command of the northwestern army, intended for 
the invasion of Canada. This army arrived on the 
Maumee River on May 30th, and marching northward 
subsequently crossed over at Detroit. High hopes 
were entertained of the success of this expedition, and 
the bitterest disappointment and chagrin were mani- 
fested throughout the country when it was learned 
that Hull had surrendered his entire command to 
the British General Brock on August 14th. The regi- 
ment to w^hich Colonel Scott was assigned was the 
Second Artillery. Colonel George Izard and he ar- 
rived on the Niagara frontier with the companies of 
Nathan Towson and James Nelson Barker. He was 
posted at Black Rock for the protection of the navy 
yard there established. 

An expedition had been planned by Lieutenant 
Elliott, of the navy, for the capture or destruction of 
two armed British brigs which were lying under the 
guns of Fort Erie. On October 8th Colonel Scott 
detached Captain Towson and a portion of his com- 
pany to report to Elliott. On the morning of the 
9th the Adams was taken by Elliott and Lieutenant 
Isaac Roach, and the Caledonia was captured by 
Captain Towson. In passing down the river the 



14 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



!ran 



Adams drifted into the British channel and 
aground under the British guns. The enemy ^en- 
deavored to recapture her, but were successfully 
resisted by Colonel Scott. This ,was his first experi- 
ence under fire, and he was complimented for his 
skill and gallantry. The Caledonia was afterward a 
part of Commodore Perry's fleet on Lake Erie. The 
Adams, having drifted aground, was burned to pre- 
vent recapture. j 

The northwestern army at this time consisted of 
about ten thousand troops. General Henry Dear- 
born held command near Plattsburg and Green- 
bush, and was the commanding officer of all the 
forces on the northern frontier. A portion of his 
army was camped at Lewistown under the command 
of General Stephen Van Rensselaer, of New York. 
General Alexander Smyth was at Buffalo with some 
fifteen hundred regular troops. Besides these, there, 
were small detachments at Ogdensburg, Sackett's 
Harbor, and Black Rock. 

General Van Rensselaer conceived the plan of 
making a bold and sudden move into Canada, with a 
view of capturing Jamestown, and there establishing 
winter quarters. The affair of the capture of the 
two English brigs with fifty men had roused great 
enthusiasm, and the country was anxious for some 
success of arms to alleviate the depression occa- 
sioned by Hull's surrender. General Van Rensse- 
laer confided the immediate command of the expedi- 
tion to his relative, Colonel Solomon Van Rensselaer 
an officer of coolness and courage, who, with three 
hundred militia and three hundred regulars, under 
Colonel Chrystie, on October 13th began crossing 
the river. 



AFFAIR AT JAMESTOWN. 15 

The troops were on the river bank ready to em- 
bark an hour before daylight, but from some mis- 
management there was not a sufficient number of 
boats to transport the whole, and they were com- 
pelled to cross in detachments. Colonel Chrystie's 
boat was swept down the river by the current, and 
he was wounded. On a second attempt he suc- 
ceeded in landing. With about a hundred men Colo- 
nel Van Rensselaer led them up the bank, and halted 
to await the arrival of the remainder. It was now 
daylight, and the little command was in full view of 
the enemy, who opened a deadly fire. Every com- 
missioned officer was either killed or wounded. 
Finding that the river bank afforded but little protec- 
tion, Colonel Van Rensselaer determined to storm 
the Queenstown heights. He had now received four 
wounds, and was compelled to relinquish the com- 
mand to Captains Peter Ogilvie, Jr., and John Ellis 
Wool. In a very short time the fort was taken and 
the heights occupied by the Americans. The enemy 
took refuge in a stone house, from which they 
opened a destructive fire and made two unsuccess- 
ful attempts to recapture the lost ground. General 
Brock rallied his men and led them on, but while 
moving at the head of the Forty-ninth Grenadiers 
he fell mortally wounded. General Van Rensselaer 
recrossed the river and assumed command, but 
hastening back to urge forward re-enforcements, the 
command fell to General Decius Wadsworth, who, 
however, did not assume to control the movements. 
Two light batteries from the Canada shore played 
on the boats attempting to cross, and there was no 
artillery with which the Americans could resist. 

Colonel Scott had volunteered his services for the 



l5 GENERAL SCOTT. 

expedition, but they were declined, for the reason 
that arrangements had been made for detachments 
under Colonel John R. Fenwick and Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel James Robert Mullaney to sustam the assault- 
ing columns. Permission was, however, given to 
Colonel Scott to march his regiment to Lewiston 
and act as circumstances might require. 

He arrived there at 4 a. m. on the 13th. Find- 
ing no boats to transport his command, he placed his 
guns on the American shore, under the direction of 
Captains Towson and Barker. Seeing that a small 
portion of the troops had crossed over, and knowing 
the peril of Van Rensselaer's little force, he took one 
piece of artillery into a boat, and, accompanied by his 
adjutant. Lieutenant Isaac Roach, Jr., he crossedt-to 
the Canada shore. Wadsworth at once relinquished 
the command of the troops to him, and he soon ani- 
mated every one with courage and resolution. 

Six feet five inches in height, clad in a new uni- 
form, he became a conspicuous mark for the enemy. 
The re-enforcements which had now crossed over in- 
creased the force to about six hundred, of which more 
than half were regulars. These were placed under 
Colonel Scott's directions in the most commanding po- 
sitions, where they awaited further re-enforcements. 
About this time a body of five hundred Indians 
joined the British troops. The British with their 
Indian allies moved forward to the assault, but were 
speedily driven back. A second time they moved for- 
ward, but with the same result. They kept up a des- 
ultory firing, during which a body of Indians moved 
suddenly out and surprised an outpost of militia. 
Scott, who was at this moment engaged in unspiking a 
gun, rushed to the front, and, rallying his men, sent the 



FORT GEORGE. 



17 



dusky warriors rapidly in retreat. The British gen- 
eral Sheaffe, who held the command at Fort George, 
having heard the firing, at once put his troops in mo- 
tion and marched for the scene of the conflict, 
Sheaffe's command consisted of eight hundred and 
fifty men. These, added to the garrison which the 
Americans were attacking, was a formidable force to 
be met by three hundred men. In the meantime the 
American troops had refused to cross the river and 
were in a state of mutiny. No entreaties, orders, or 
threats of Van Rensselaer could avail to move them. 
But the three hundred brave fellows, with only one 
piece of artillery, stood their ground. General Van 
Rensselaer, from the American shore, sent word to 
Wadsworth to retreat. Colonels John Chrystie and 
Scott, of the regulars, and Captains James Mead, 
Strahan, and Allen, of the militia, and Captains Ogil- 
vei. Wool, Joseph Gilbert, Totten, and McChesney, 
took council of their desperate situation. Colonel 
Scott told them that their condition was desperate, 
but that the stain of Hull's surrender must be wiped 
out. *' Let us die," he said, "arms in hand. Our 
country demands the sacrifice. The example will 
not be lost. The blood of the slain will make he- 
roes of the living. Those who follow will avenge 
our fall and our country's wrongs. Who dare to 
stand ? " he exclaimed. A loud ringing shout " All ! " 
came from the whole line. 

General Sheaffe did not move to immediate at- 
tack on his arrival. He marched his troops slowly 
the entire length of the American line, and then 
countermarched. 

As resistance was entirely hopeless, the order 
was given to retire. The whole line broke in dis- 



l8 ■ GENERAL SCOTT. 

order to the river, but there were no boats there 
to transport them. Two flags of truce were sent 
to the enemy, but the officer who bore them did 
not return. Colonel Scott then fixed a white hand- 
kerchief on the end of his sword, and, accompanied 
by Captains Totten and Gibson, passed under the 
river bluff and started to ascend the heights. They 
were met by Indians, who fired on them and rushed 
with tomahawks to assault them. A British officer 
happily arrived and conducted them to the quarters 
of General Sheaffe,- and Colonel Scott made formal 
surrender of the whole force. The number surren- 
dered, except some skulking militia who were discov- 
ered later, was two hundred and ninety-three. The 
American loss in killed, wounded, and captured was 
near one thousand men. 

General Van Rensselaer was so mortified at the 
conduct of the militia that he tendered his resig- 
nation. The British general Brock was next day 
buried under one of the bastions of Fort George, and 
Colonel Scott, then a prisoner, sent orders to have 
minute guns fired from Fort Niagara during the 
funeral ceremonies, which orders were carried out — 
an act of chivalry and courtesy which greatly im- 
pressed the British. 

The American officers who had been captured 
were lodged in a small inn at the village of Newark 
and divested of their arms, and a strong guard was 
posted at the door. Two Indians, Captain Jacobs 
and Brant, sent word that they wished to see the tall 
American, meaning Colonel Scott. The alleged ob- 
ject of their visit was to see if Scott had not been 
wounded, as he had been fired at several times at close 
range. On entering the room, Jacobs seized Scott by 



INDIANS ATTEMPT SCOTT'S LIFE. 



19 



the arm and attempted to turn him around. Scott 
seized the Indian and threw him against the wall. 
Both then drew their knives, and advancing on the 
prisoner said, "We kill you now ! " The sentinel at 
the door was not in view, and Scott, making a spring, 
seized a sword, which he quickly drew from the 
scabbard, and, placing his back against the wall in the 
narrow hall, defied his assailants. At this critical 
moment Captain Coffin, nephew of General Sheaffe 
and his aid-de-camp, entered the room and caught 
Jacobs by the throat and presented a cocked pistol 
to his breast. Both savages now turned on him, and 
Scott closed in to defend the captain. At this mo- 
ment the guard entered, and arrested the two Indi- 
ans and conducted them out of the room. 

The volunteer officers and men were paroled and 
sent home, while the regulars were embarked for 
Quebec. On the passage to Quebec a priest of a 
Caledonian settlement reproached Colonel Scott se- 
verely for being a traitor to George III. Respect 
for his profession brought out a mild reply. In 1827, 
General Scott being at Buffalo on board a Govern- 
ment steamer, the master of the vessel asked per- 
mission to bring into his cabin a bishop and two 
priests. The bishop was recognized as the same prel- 
ate who had acted so rudely. General Scott, how- 
ever, heaped coals of fire on his head by treating him 
and his party with the greatest courtesy. 

After a cartel of exchange had been agreed upon, 
Colonel Scott and the other regulars, prisoners, were 
embarked on a vessel for Boston. As they were about 
to sail. Colonel Scott's attention was attracted by an 
unusual noise on deck. Proceeding from the cabin 
to the scene of the disturbance, he found a party 
3 



20 GENERAL SCOTT. 

of British officers in the act of separating from the 
other prisoners such as by confusion or brogue they 
judged to be Irishmen. The object was to refuse to 
parole them, and send them to England to be tried 
for high treason. Twenty-three had been selected 
and set apart for this purpose. 

Colonel Scott learned with indignation that this 
proceeding was under the direct orders of Sir George 
Prevost, the Governor General. He at once pro- 
tested, and commanded the remaining men to be si- 
lent and answer no questions. This order was obeyed 
despite the threats of the British officers, and none 
others than the twenty-three were separated from 
their comrades. He then addressed the party select- 
ed, explaining the laws of allegiance, and assuring 
them that the United States Government would pro- 
tect them by immediate retaliation, and, if necessary, 
by an order to give no quarter hereafter in battle. 
He was frequently interrupted by the British officers, 
but they failed to silence him. The Irishmen were 
put in irons, placed on board a frigate, and sent to 
England. After Colonel Scott landed in Boston he 
proceeded to Washington, and was duly exchanged. 
He at once addressed a letter to the Secretary of 
War as folows : 

" Sir : I think it my duty to lay before the Depart- 
ment that on the arrival at Quebec of the American 
prisoners of war surrendered at Queenstown they 
were mustered and examined by British officers ap- 
pointed to that duty, and every native-born of the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland se- 
questered and sent on board a ship of war then in the 
harbor. The vessel in a few days thereafter sailed 



THE IRISH PRISONERS. 2I 

for England with these persons on board. Between 
fifteen and twenty persons were thus taken from us, 
natives of Ireland, several of whom were known by 
their platoon officers to be naturalized citizens of the 
United States, and others to have been long residents 
within the same. One in particular, whose name has 
escaped me, besides having complied with all the 
conditions of our naturalization laws, was repre- 
sented by his officers to have left a wife and five 
children, all of them born within the State of New 
York. 

"I distinctly understood, as well from the officers 
who came on board the prison ship for the above pur- 
poses as from others with whom I remonstrated on 
this subject, that it was the determination of the Brit- 
ish Government, as expressed through Sir George 
Prevost, to punish every man whom it might subject 
to its power found in arms against the British king 
contrary to his native allegiance. I have the honor 
to be, sir, 

" Your most obedient servant, 

" WiNFiELD Scott, 
*' Lieutenant Colonel^ Second U. S. Artillery y 

This report was forwarded by the Secretary of 
War to both houses of Congress, and the imme- 
diate result was that Congress, on March 3, 1813, 
passed an act of retaliation. In May, 1813, at the 
battle of Fort George, a number of prisoners were 
captured. Colonel Scott, being then chief of staff, 
selected twenty-three to be confined and held as host- 
ages. He was careful, however, to entirely exclude 
Irishmen from the number. Eventually the twenty- 
three men sent to England were released, and Scott 



22 GENERAL SCOTT. 

took great interest in securing their arrearages of 
pay and patents for their land bounties. 

The doctrine of perpetual allegiance had always 
been maintained by the British Government, and ex- 
amples were numerous of the arrest or detention of 
prisoners claimed as British subjects. After this act 
of Colonel Scott no other prisoners were set apart 
by the British to be tried for treason. 

These transactions gave rise to discussion of the 
question throughout the country and in both houses 
of Congress. President Madison, and Mr. Monroe as 
Secretary of State, took strong ground against the 
British claim. While subsequent treaties were silent 
on the question, the right is no longer asserted by 
Great Britain, and has been recognized by treaty. 
Colonel Scott then returned to Washington. 



CHAPTER II. 

Scott ordered to Philadelphia — Appointed adjutant general with the 
rank of colonel — Becomes chief of staff to General Dearborn 
— Death of General Pike — Leads the advance on Fort Niag- 
ara — Anecdote of Scott and a British colonel — Commands 
the expedition to Burlington Heights — March for Sackett's 
Harbor — Meets a force at Cornwall — Retreat of Wilkinson — 
Scott appointed brigadier general — Attack on and surrender 
of Fort Erie — Battle of Chippewa — Lundy's Lane and 
wounding of Scott— Retreat of the army to Black Rock — 
Fort Erie — Visits Europe. 

From Washington Colonel Scott was ordered to 
Philadelphia to take command of another battalion 
of his regiment. In March, 1813, he was appointed 
adjutant general with the rank of colonel, and about 
the same time promoted to the colonelcy of his regi- 
ment. Notwithstanding his command of the regi- 
ment, he continued to perform staff duties. At this 
time General Dearborn was in command of the 
American forces at Fort Niagara, consisting of about 
five thousand men. In May, Colonel Scott, with his 
regiment, joined General Dearborn, and Scott be- 
came chief of staff. He first organized the service 
among all the staff departments, several of which 
were entirely new, and others disused in the United 
States since the Revolutionary War. On the British 
side of the Niagara was Fort George, situated on 
a peninsula and occupied by British troops. Just 



24 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



previous to Colonel Scott's arrival at Niagara an 
expedition was landed from the squadron of Com- 
modore Chauncey, commanded by General Zebulon 
Montgomery Pike, for the capture of York, the capi- 
tal of Upper Canada. The assault was successful, and 
the place was taken with a large number of prisoners 
and valuable stores. General Pike was killed by the 
explosion of a magazine. Animated by the success 
of General Pike's expedition, General Dearborn 
determined to make an assault on Fort George, hav- 
ing the co-operation of Commodore Chauncey and 
his naval force. Arrangements were made for an 
attack on May 20th. Colonel Scott asked permis- 
sion to join the expedition in command of his own 
regiment, which was granted. 

The fleet weighed anchor at three o'clock in the 
morning, and by four the troops were all aboard. 
The place of embarkation was three miles east of 
Fort Niagara, and was made in six divisions of boats. 
Colonel Scott led the advance guard, at his special 
request, composed of his own regiment and a small- 
er one under Lieutenant-Colonel George McFeely. 
He was followed by General Moses Porter having 
the field train, then the brigades of Generals John 
Parker Boyd, William Henry Winder, and John 
Chandler, with the reserve under the able Colonel 
Alexander Macomb. 

Commodore Isaac Chauncey had directed the 
anchorage of his schooners close to the shore in or- 
der to protect the troops in landing, and to open 
fire at any point on the shore where the enemy were 
suspected to be. Lieutenant Oliver Hazard Perry 
joined Commodore Chauncey on the evening of the 
25th, and volunteered his services in assisting in the 



ATTACK ON FORT NIAGARA. 



25 



debarkation of the troops. This service required 
the greatest coolness and skill, as the wind was blow- 
ing strong and the current running rapidly ; the 
vessels were difficult to manage, especially as they 
were under almost constant fire of the British guns. 
Perry accompanied Scott through the surf, and ren- 
dered valuable service. He it was who as Commo- 
dore Perry soon after became known to the world 
as the hero of Lake Erie. 

The landing was effected on the British shore at 
nine o'clock in the morning a short distance from 
the village of Newark, now known as Niagara. The 
line of battle was promptly formed under cover of a 
bank rangmg from six to twelve feet in height. 
The line of the enemy was formed at the top of the 
bank, consisting of about fifteen hundred men. The 
first attempt to ascend was unsuccessful. Scott, in 
attempting to scale the bank, received a severe fall, 
but recovering himself and rallying his forces, he 
advanced up the bank and was met by the enemy's 
bayonets. The British fell back and reformed under 
cover of a ravine, but a vigorous assault of less than 
half an hour put them in a complete rout. These 
forces were assisted by Porter's artillery and Boyd 
with a portion of his command, who had landed soon 
after the advance forces. The enemy were pursued 
to the village, where the Americans were re-enforced 
by the command of Colonel James Miller. It was 
learned from some prisoners that the British garrison 
was about to abandon Fort George and preparing 
to blow up the works. Two companies were dis- 
patched toward the fort, but on nearing it one of 
the magazines exploded, and a piece of timber strik- 
mg Colonel Scott, threw him from his horse, result- 



26 GENERAL SCOTT. 

ing in a broken collar bone. Recovering himself, 
he caused the gate to be forced, entered the fort, 
and with his own hands pulled down the British 
flag. The fort had suffered great damage from the 
artillery fire directed against it from the opposite 
shore. The enemy were pursued for five miles, when 
an order from General Morgan Lewis recalled Scott 
when he was in the midst of the stragglers from the 
British forces. The American loss was seventeen 
killed and forty-five wounded, and that of the British 
ninety killed, one hundred and sixty wounded, and 
over one hundred prisoners. 

It will be remembered that about a year before 
Colonel Scott was for a short time a prisoner at 
Queenstown. Dining one evening with General 
Sheaffe and several other British officers, one of them 
asked him if he had ever seen the falls of Niagara. 
He replied, "Yes, from the American side." To 
this the officer replied, " You must have the glory of 
a successful fight before you can view the cataract 
in all its grandeur." Scott replied, " If it be your 
purpose to insult me, sir, honor should have prompted 
you first to return my sword." General Sheaffe re- 
buked the officer, and the matter ended. 

This same colonel was severely wounded and 
captured at Fort George. Colonel Scott showed him 
every attention and had his wants promptly sup- 
plied. On visiting him one day the British officer 
said to him : '' I have long owed you an apology, sir. 
You have overwhelmed me with kindness. You now, 
sir, at your leisure, can view the falls in all their glory." 

Within two days after the capture of Fort George 
a body of some nine hundred British troops under 
command of Sir Georofe Prevost, Governor General 



BRITISH LAND AT SACKETT'S HARBOR. 



27 



of Canada, landed at Sackett's Harbor, New York, for 
the purpose of destroying the stores and a vessel 
there on the stocks. General Jacob Brown, who 
subsequently came to the command of the United 
States army, hastily gathered a body of militia, at- 
tacked and drove the enemy back to their vessels, 
and saved the stores. On June 6th, General Winder, 
with about eight hundred men, had been re-enforced 
at Stoney Creek by a small force under General 
Chandler. They were in pursuit of the British 
forces who had escaped from Fort George under 
command of General Vincent. He determined not 
to await the attack of the Americans, but to attack 
himself. He moved out at night and attacked the 
center of the American line, which he succeeded in 
breaking, and captured both Generals Winder and 
Chandler; but the enemy was at last driven back, 
and a council of war decided on a retreat. Coming 
close on this disaster. Colonel Charles G. Boerstler, 
with a command of six hundred men, had been sent 
forward to capture the Stone House, seventeen 
miles from Fort George. The British force was 
much larger than Boerstler's, and on June 24th he 
was completely surrounded and forced to surrender. 
For some three months the main body of the army 
had remained inactive. Colonel Scott during the 
happening of the occurrences just related had been 
engaged in foraging expeditions for the supply of 
the army. These expeditions also resulted in com- 
bats between the opposing forces, in all of which 
Scott was successful. In July, 1813, he resigned the 
office of adjutant general and was assigned to the 
command of twenty companies, or what was known 
as a double regiment. 



28 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Burlington Heights, on Lake Ontario, was sup- 
posed to be the depot of mihtary stores for the Brit- 
ish, and in September an expedition was fitted out 
under Scott's command to capture it ; but no stores 
being found there, he marched toward York, now 
called Toronto, where a large quantity of stores 
were taken and the barracks and storehouses burned. 
General Wilkinson being now in command of the 
army, a campaign was inaugurated for the capture 
of Kingston and Montreal. Kingston was an impor- 
tant port, and Montreal the chief commercial town 
of Lower Canada. 

Wilkinson was ordered to concentrate at Sack- 
ett's Harbor early in October. General Wade 
Hampton was ordered to join him from northern 
New York. Wilkinson embarked on October 2d, 
and Scott was left in command of Fort George with 
some eight hundred regulars and part of a regi- 
ment of militia under Colonel Joseph Gardner Swift. 
Under directions of Captain Totten, of the engineers, 
work was rapidly advanced in placing the fort in 
tenable condition; but the work was not completed 
before October 9th, when, to Scott's surprise, the 
enemy near him moved down toward Wilkinson. 
As authorized by his orders, Colonel Scott turned 
the command of the fort over to Brigadier-General 
McLure, of the New York militia. It was arranged 
that Scott was to join Wilkinson, and that vessels for 
his transportation should be sent up to the mouth of 
the Genesee River. 

On his arrival there he received information that 
Commodore Chauncey, commanding the fleet, had 
been detained by the protest of General Wilkinson 
against his leaving him, even for a few days. Scott 



DESCENDS THE ST. LAWRENCE. 



29 



was then compelled to undertake the long march for 
Sackett's Harbor by way of Rochester, Canandaigua, 
and Utica. The march was accomplished under 
many difficulties and with much suffering, as it rained 
almost incessantly, and the roads were in the worst 
of conditions. On his arrival in advance of his 
troops, he was appointed to the command of a bat- 
talion under Colonel Macomb. Being in command 
of the advance of the army in the descent of the St. 
Lawrence, he was not present at the engagement 
at Chrysler's Farm on November nth. At that 
time, in conjunction with Colonel Dennis, he was 
forcing a passage near Cornwall, under fire of a 
British force, which he routed, and captured many 
prisoners. 

The day before the occurrence of the affair just 
mentioned he landed at Fort Matilda, commanding 
a narrow place on the river, where he gained posses- 
sion of the fort. The expedition which was an- 
nounced for the conquest of Canada was, on No- 
vember 12th, abandoned by its leader and projector. 
General Wilkinson, who commanded a retreat. This 
occurred when Scott was fifteen miles in advance of 
Chrysler's Field, there being no body of British troops 
between him and Montreal, and the garrison at the 
latter place had only four hundred marines and two 
hundred sailors. 

Wilkinson's defense for his failure was that Gen- 
eral Hampton had refused to join him at St. Regis 
for fear of lack of provisions and forage. 

After the events just related, Colonel Scott was 
engaged in preparing the new levies of troops for the 
field and arranging for supplies and transportation 
for the next campaign. 



30 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



On March g, 1814, he was appointed to the rank 
of brigadier general, and ordered to join General 
Jacob Brown, commanding general of the United 
States army, then moving toward the Niagara fron- 
tier. On the 24th General Brown marched to Sack- 
ett's Harbor, where Scott established a camp of in- 
struction. On assembling of the army at Buffalo, 
Scott was assigned to the command of the Ninth, 
Eleventh, and Twenty-fifth Regiments of infantry, 
with a part of the Twenty-second Regiment and Cap- 
tain Towson's company of artillery. In addition to 
this command there were at this time at Buffalo the 
commands of Generals Porter and Eleazer Wheelock 
Ripley. The whole force was placed in camp under 
General Scott's immediate direction. In the latter 
part of June General Brown returned to Buffalo, and 
on the morning of July 3d Scott's brigade with 
the artillery of Major Jacobs Hindman, crossed the 
river and landed below Fort Erie, while Ripley's 
brigade landed a short distance above. Fort Erie 
was invested, attacked, and soon surrendered, and 
on the morning of the 4th Scott's brigade moved 
in advance in the direction of Chippewa. He was 
engaged for a distance of sixteen miles in a run- 
ning fight with the British forces under the Marquis 
of Tweedale. Toward night the Marquis of Twee- 
dale crossed the Chippewa River and joined the 
main army under General Sir Phineas Riall. Scott 
then took position on a creek some two miles from 
Chippewa. On the east was the Niagara River and 
the road to Chippewa, while on the west was a heavy 
wood. Between the wood and the river were two 
streams — the Chippewa and Street's Creek. General 
Riall, the British commander, was posted behind the 



BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA. 



31 



Chippewa, flanked on one side with a blockhouse 
and a heavy battery on the other. 

Both of these streams were bridged on the road 
to Chippewa, the one over Street's Creek being near- 
est to Scott, while that over the Chippewa was near- 
est to Riall. On the morning of the 5th General 
Brown had determined to make the attack, but the 
enemy, anticipating it, made the first forward move- 
ment, and there were a number of skirmishes. General 
Porter, whose command consisted of volunteers, mi- 
litia, and friendly Indians, first engaged the British 
and drove them back through the woods. General Ri- 
all at this moment was seen advancing with the main 
body of his army, and the retreating troops rallied, 
attacking Porter furiously, and, despite his own cool- 
ness and gallantry, his troops gave way and fled. 
This was about four o'clock, and General Brown, be- 
ing with Porter, saw the advance of the British force, 
and meeting General Scott, said to him, '' The enemy 
is advancing." General Brown then moved to the 
rear and ordered the advance of Ripley's brigade. 
The British army was composed of the One Hun- 
dredth Regiment, under the Marquis of Tweedale, the 
First Royal Scots, under Lieutenant-Colonel Gor- 
don, a portion of the Eighth or King's Regiment, a 
detachment of the Royal Artillery, a detachment of 
the Royal Nineteenth Light Dragoons, and some 
Canadian militia and Indians. These were sup- 
ported by a heavy battery of nine guns. Scott 
crossed the bridge under fire of this battery, losing 
a number of men. After crossing, the commands of 
Majors Henry Leavenworth and John McNeil, Jr., 
formed line in front opposite the center and left of 
the enemy. Major Thomas Sidney Jesup moved to 



32 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



the left and advanced to attack the enemy's right. 
Towson's battery was on the right, on the Chippewa 
road. Seeing that the British lines outflanked him, 
Scott ordered the movement of Jesup to the left. 
The battle now opened, Jesup holding in check 
the right wing of the enemy, his position in the wood 
concealing him from view. General Scott had now 
advanced to within eighty paces of the enemy, and 
ordering the left flank of McNeil's battalion formed 
on the right so that it was oblique to the enemy's 
charge and flanking him on the right. Scott called 
to McNeil's cornmand, which had no recruits in it : 
"The enemy say we are good at long shot, but can 
not stand the cold iron. I call upon the Eleventh to 
give the lie to that slander. Charge ! " The charge 
was made at once, supported by a corresponding 
charge of Leavenworth and a flank fire from Tow- 
son's battery. The British broke, and fled in great 
confusion. 

In the meantime Major Jesup, commanding on 
the left, ordered his men to advance, which they did, 
driving the enemy into his intrenchments across the 
Chippewa. The British forces engaged were about 
twenty-one hundred men, and that of the Americans 
nineteen hundred. The British lost in killed, one hun- 
dred and thirty-eight; wounded, three hundred and 
nineteen ; and missing, forty-six. The American loss 
was sixty killed, two hundred and forty-eight wound- 
ed, and nineteen missing. General Brown in his of- 
ficial report says : " Brigadier General Scott is en- 
titled to the highest praise our country can bestow; 
to him more than to any other man am I indebted for 
the victory of July 5th. His brigade covered itself 
with glory. Every ofiicer and every man of the 






ja 


fjK 


\ 


«T # 




Jl 


Y' 


f 








> 







BATTLE OF 

CHIPPEWA 



THE BRITISH DRIVEN ACROSS THE CHIPPEWA. 



33 



Ninth, Twenty-second, Eleventh, and Twenty-fifth 
Regiments did his duty with a zeal and energy worthy 
of the American character." Two days after the 
battle of Chippewa General Scott forced a passage 
across the Chippewa, driving the enemy. 

A fort called Messasauga was built after the cam- 
paign of 1813 by the British as a defense to Fort 
George, and being re-enforced by General Riall, he 
moved to Burlington Heights on Lake Ontario. It 
was General Brown's intention to capture these forts 
before beginning further or more extended opera- 
tions. With this purpose, he ordered some heavy 
guns from Sackett's Harbor ; but Commodore Chaun- 
cey being sick, and the enemy having a superior fleet 
on the lake, the attack on these forts was abandoned. 
General Brown then made a feint by moving up the 
Niagara and recrossing the Chippewa, with a view 
to draw the enemy down and to enable him to obtain 
supplies from Fort Schlosser. Failing in this, it was 
his purpose to send General Scott by the road from 
Queenstown and thus force Riall to battle. 

On the afternoon of the 25th General Brown re- 
ceived a note from a militia officer who occupied 
some posts on the American side of the Niagara, that 
a thousand British troops had crossed from Queens- 
town to Lewiston, a few miles below the Chippewa. 
It was thought that the object of this movement was 
to capture the American magazines at Schlosser and 
cut off supplies from Buffalo. General Brown hav- 
ing determined to threaten the forts at the mouth of 
the Niagara, General Scott's command was put in 
motion for this purpose. It consisted of four battal- 
ions under Colonel Hugh Brady, and the commands 
of Majors Jesup, Leavenworth, and McNeil, Captain 



34 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Towson's artillery, and Captain Harris's detachment 
of cavalry, the whole force aggregating thirteen hun- 
dred men. After a march of two miles some mount- 
ed British officers were discovered on a reconnoitering 
expedition, their forces being a short distance off and 
hidden from view. 

General Scott's orders were to march on the forts, 
as information had been received that Riall had di- 
vided his forces, sending a thousand of them across 
the river. He, however, determined to move forward 
and give battle. Dispatching Adjutant-General Jones 
to General Brown with information that the enemy 
was in his front, he moved on, and was astonished to 
see drawn up in line of battle on Lundy's Lane a 
larger force than he had fought at Chippewa; but he 
determined to give battle and rely upon re-enforce- 
ments being rapidly sent to him. Lieutenant Rich- 
ard Douglass was now dispatched to inform General 
Brown of the situation. On the night of the 23d 
Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond had ar- 
rived at the mouth of the river with re-enforcements. 
This was not known to General Brown. Riall had 
marched down the road which Scott was to have taken 
on the 26th, coming by Queenstown, and had not sent 
any troops across the Niagara. His re-enforcements 
were coming up rapidly. The battle opened late in 
the afternoon. The British line, eighteen hundred 
strong, posted on a ridge in Lundy's Lane running 
at right angles with the river, was in front of Scott. 
The left of this line was on a road parallel to the 
river, with a space grown up with small timber, ex- 
tending some two hundred yards. He ordered Major 
Jesup and Colonel Brady to take advantage of this 
and turn the enemy's left from the concealed posi- 



BATTLE OF LUNDY'S LANE. 



35 



tion which the brushwood afforded. The other in- 
fantry forces had been placed in line with detach- 
ments of cavalry on both sides and held as reserves. 
The British, outflanking Scott on the left, made a 
movement to attack in flank and rear. This was 
repelled by Major McNeil with heavy loss. Jesup 
had succeeded in his movement, while Brady, Leav- 
enworth, and Towson were engaged in the front. 
Jesup had captured General Riall and a number of 
other officers far in his front, and then resumed his 
line. At nine o'clock the British right was driven 
back from its assault on Scott's flank, and his left 
was turned and cut off. The center posted on the 
ridge held its place, supported by nine pieces of ar- 
tillery. Another battalion of British troops was on 
its way as a re-enforcement, and but a short distance 
away, when General Brown arrived on the field, in 
advance of the reserve. He thus describes in his re- 
port what occurred from the time of his arrival : 

" Apprehending that these corps were much ex- 
hausted, and knowing that they had suffered se- 
verely, I determined to interpose a new line with 
the advancing troops, and thus disengage General 
Scott and hold his brigade in reserve. Orders were 
accordmgly given to General Ripley. The enemy's 
artillery at this moment occupied a hill which gave 
him great advantage and was the key to the whole 
position. It was supported by a line of infantry. 
To secure the victory it was necessary to carry this 
with artillery and seize the height. 

"The duty was assigned to Colonel Miller. He 

advanced steadily and gallantly to his object, and 

carried the height and the cannon. General Ripley 

brought up the Twenty-third (which had faltered) to 

4 



36 GENERAL SCOTT. 

his support, and the enemy disappeared from before 
them. The enemy, rallying his forces, and, as is 
believed, having received re-enforcements, now at- 
tempted to drive us from our position and regain his 
artillery. Our line was unshaken and the enemy re- 
pulsed. Two other attempts having the same object 
had the same issue. General Scott was again engaged 
in repelling the former of these, and the last I saw 
of him on the field of battle he was near the head of 
his column and giving to its march a direction that 
would have placed him on the enemy's right. . . . 
Having been for some time wounded and being a 
good deal exhausted by loss of blood, it became my 
wish to devolve the command on General Scott and 
retire from the field ; but on inquiry I had the mis- 
fortune to learn that he was disabled by wounds. I 
therefore kept my post, and had the satisfaction to 
see the enemy's last effort repulsed." 

General Brown said to General Miller, when he 
saw that to win the battle the artillery on the ridge 
must be captured, *' Sir, can you take that battery ? " 
He replied, " I will try, sir," and at once moved for- 
ward, conducted by Scott, who was familiar with the 
ground, and with his gallant command drove the 
enemy from its stronghold and captured the guns. 

General Scott, though severely wounded, was not 
disabled at the time mentioned in General Brown's 
report. Having two horses killed under him, he was 
at this time on foot, but was finally prostrated by his 
two wounds — one in the side, the other in the shoul- 
der. The American loss was one hundred and sev- 
enty-one killed, five hundred and seventy-two wound- 
ed, and one hundred and seventeen prisoners ; that of 
the British was eighty-four killed, five hundred and 



THE BRITISH INVEST FORT ERIE. 



37 



fifty-nine wounded, and two hundred and thirty-five 
prisoners. 

Generals Brown and Scott both being disabled, 
General Ripley was sent to bring off the wounded 
and dead. The captured artillery, owing to want of 
horses and harness, was left on the field. The army 
now fell back to Chippewa and fortified the place. 

It being learned that General Drummond was ad- 
vancing on Chippewa with a large force, the place 
was evacuated and the army retreated to the ferry 
near Black Rock. A division was ordered to remain 
at Fort Erie and repair the fort, and Brigadier-General 
Gaines was, by General Brown's orders, placed in 
command of the army. 

Very soon the British General Drummond ap- 
peared in front of Fort Erie and commenced a regu- 
lar investment. Cannonading was begun on August 
13th and continued at intervals, and on the 15th 
a heavy British column assaulted Towson's battery, 
which was stationed at the northwest angle of the 
fort. The assault was repelled by Captain Towson 
with the aid of Major Wood, commanding the 
Twenty-fifth Regiment. The western angle was 
then attacked, with a like result. The British event- 
ually succeeded in obtaining possession of the ex- 
terior bastion of the old fort. Just at this time a 
number of cartridges in a building near by exploded, 
killing many of the British and expelling them from 
the fort. The losses in these affairs were : British — 
killed, fifty-seven ; wounded, three hundred and nine ; 
missing, five hundred and thu'ty-nine. American — 
killed, seventeen ; wounded, fifty-six ; missing, eleven. 

General Brown resumed command on September 
2d, and determined to attempt to relieve the siege by 



38 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



a sortie on the enemy's works. The investment had 
now lasted fifty days, and the British during that 
time had erected two batteries and were engaged on 
a third. The force was divided into three brigades, 
two of which were encamped out of range of the 
American cannon. At half past 2 p.m. on the 17th 
the American troops marched out and the action be- 
gan. In less than half an hour the Americans had 
captured two of the batteries and two blockhouses. 
Very soon a third battery was abandoned, the cannon 
spiked and dismounted. General Drummond retired 
on the night of the 21st, and took post in his in- 
trenchments behind the Chippewa. The British losses 
in this investment were, in killed, wounded, and pris- 
oners, nearly a thousand, while the American loss 
was five hundred and eleven. Early in November the 
American army took up winter quarters in Buffalo, 
and this brought to a close the war on the Niagara. 

The following statement of the losses on either 
side in this memorable campaign is interesting: 





British loss. 


American loss. 


Battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814 

Battle of Niagara, July 25, 1814 

Battle of Fort Erie, August 15, 18 14. 
Sortie from Fort Erie, Sept. 17, 18 14. 


507 
878 
905 
800 

3,090 


328 
860 

84 


Total 


1.783 



General Jacob Brown, the commander of this 
army, became General in Chief of the United States 
army March 10, 1821. He died September 24, 1828. 
General Brown was born in Bucks County, Penn- 
sylvania, May 9, 1775. He was secretary to Alexan- 
der Hamilton, where he acquired military information 



GENERALS BROWN AND RIPLEY 



39 



and experience, and in 1809 was made a colonel of 
militia. In 1810 he was promoted brigadier general, 
and two years afterward was assigned to the com- 
mand of the frontier from Oswego to Lake St. 
Francis. In July, 1813, he was appointed a brigadier 
general in the United States army and placed in 
command of the Army of Niagara with the rank of 
major general. His subsequent career is briefly 
mentioned in this work. He received the thanks 
of Congress, November 3, 1814, and a gold medal, 
now in possession of his son. General N. W. Brown, 
of Washington City. 

General Eleazer W. Ripley became a brevet major 
general, and resigned in May, 1820. He was a mem- 
ber of the House of Representatives of the United 
States Congress (the Twenty-fourth) from Louisiana, 
and died March 2, 1839. Hugh Brady became a 
brigadier general by brevet. William McRee re- 
signed as colonel in March, 1819 ; was afterward 
surveyor general of Missouri, and died in 1832. 
Thomas S. Jesup became quartermaster general of 
the army with rank of brevet major general. Henry 
Leavenworth died a brigadier general by brevet, 
July 21, 1834. John McNeil resigned as brigadier 
general by brevet ; was afterward surveyor of cus- 
toms at Boston. Jacob Hindman died a colonel, 
February 17, 1827. Roger Jones was adjutant gen- 
eral of the army, and brigadier general by brevet. 

General Scott's wounds were so severe and pain- 
ful that it was a long time before he was fit for duty. 
In September, 1814, Philadelphia and Baltimore 
were so threatened by the enemy that General Scott 
took nominal command for the defense of those 
cities. Everywhere on his route he received the 



40 GENERAL SCOTT. 

highest evidences of the love and esteem of the peo- 
ple. At Princeton, N. J., he had a distinguished re- 
ception, and had conferred on him by the college the 
degree of Master of Arts. From Princeton he pro- 
ceeded to Baltimore, and on October i6, 1814, as- 
sumed command of the Tenth Military District, with 
headquarters at Washington. 

The treaty of peace was signed December 24, 
1814, and ratified by the Senate, February 17, 1815. 
He was tendered the appointment of Secretary of 
War, but declined on the ground that he was too 
young. When his recommendations for colonel and 
brigadier general were presented to the President he 
expressed m both instances the fear that he was too 
young. It was in allusion to this that he gave this 
reason. He was then requested to act as Secretary 
until the arrival of William H. Crawford, at that 
period Minister to France, and who had been ap- 
pointed Secretary of War. He declined this also, in 
deference to Generals Jacob Brown and Andrew 
Jackson. He was engaged for some time in reduc- 
ing the army to a peace establishment, which being 
completed he was ordered to Europe for profes- 
sional purposes. He was also intrusted with certain 
important and delicate diplomatic functions relating 
to the designs of Great Britain on the island of 
Cuba, and the revolutionary struggles between cer- 
tain Spanish provinces in America. 



CHAPTER III. 

Is received and entertained by prominent civilians and military 
men in Europe — Marries Miss Mayo — Offspring — Thanks of 
Congress — Thanks of the Virginia Legislature voted, and also 
a sword — Controversy with General Andrew Jackson and 
correspondence — Prepares general regulations for the army 
and militia — Controversy with General Gaines and the War 
Department about rank — In command of the Eastern Divi- 
sion — War with the Sac and Fox Indians — Black Hawk — 
Cholera breaks out among the 'troops. 

General Scott received great attention from 
prominent military men in Europe. He was also 
treated with much respect by men of letters and sci- 
ence. On his return home, in 1816, he was assigned 
to the command uf the seaboard, and established his_ 
headquarters in the city of New York. On March 
II, 1817, he was married to Miss Maria D. Mayo, of ' 
Richmond, Va., daughter of Colonel John Mayo. 
She was a lady of many accomplishments and a belle 
in Virginia society. The issue of this marriage who 
lived to maturity were Virginia, who died unmarried ; 
Cornelia who was married to Colonel Henry L. Scott, 
General Scott's adjutant general for many years, 
and who, dying, left one son, Winfield Scott, now a 
resident of Richmond, Va. ; Camilla, who married 
Gould Hoyt, of New York, and died leaving chil- 
dren ; Ella, who married Carroll McTavish, and has 
several daughters. She is now (1893) a resident of 



u 



42 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Baltimore. Mrs. Scott died June 10, 1862. Two 
sons and two daughters died before reaching matu- 
rity. Mrs. Scott's remains were buried by the side 
of her illustrious husband at West Point. 

In November, 1813, Congress passed a joint reso- 
lution complimenting General Scott for his skill 
and gallantry in the battles of Chippewa and Niag- 
ara and for his uniform good conduct throughout 
the war, and directed the striking and presentation 
to him of a gold medal. This was presented to him 
in a speech of great feeling and high compliment at 
the Executive Mansion in the presence of the mem- 
bers of the Cabinet and many other distinguished 
persons. On July 4, 1831, General Scott watched 
the last moments and closed the eyes of President 
Monroe in New York city. In February, 1816, the 
Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution unani- 
mously returning thanks to General Scott for his 
services to his country, and also voted him a sword. 
This was followed by like action by the Legislature 
of New York. In 1815 he was elected an honorary 
member of the Society of the Cincinnati. 

In April, 181 7, General Andrew Jackson issued 
from Nashville, Tenn., an order reciting that "the 
commanding general considers it due to the princi- 
ples of subordination which might and must exist in 
an army to prohibit the obedience of any order 
emanating from the Department of War to officers 
of the division who have reported and been assigned 
to duty, unless coming through him as the proper 
organ of communication." At a dinner party in New 
York soon after the publication of this order Gov- 
ernor Clmton desired to know General Scott's opinion 
of it. He expressed views in opposition to General 



LETTER FROM GENERAL JACKSON. 43 

Jackson, and added that its tendency was mutinous. 
An anonymous writer published the details of this 
conversation in a New York paper called the Colum- 
bian, and a copy of it reached General Jackson, who 
wrote General Scott as follows: 

" Headquarters Division of the South, 
" Nashville, September 77, iSiy. 
" Sir : With that candor due the character you 
have sustained as a soldier and a man of honor, and 
with the fairness of the latter, I address you. In- 
closed is a copy of an anonymous letter postmarked 
New York, August 14, 1817, together with a pub- 
lication taken from the Columbian, which accom- 
panied the letter. I have not permitted myself for 
a moment to believe that the conduct ascribed to 
you is correct. Candor, however, induces me to lay 
them before you, that you may have it in your power 
to say how far they be incorrectly stated. If my 
order has been the subject of your animadversions, it 
is believed you will at once admit it, and the extent 
to which you may have gone. 
" I am, sir, respectfully, 

"Your most obedient servant, 

''Andrew Jackson. 
" General W. Scott, U. S. Armyy 

General Scott replied to this letter denying the 
authorship of the article, and said : "... I gave it as 
my opinion that that paper was, as it respected the 
future, mutinous in its character and tendency, and 
as it respected the past, a reprimand of the com- 
mander in chief, the President of the United States; 
for although the latter be not expressly named, it is 
a principle well understood that the War Depart- 



44 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



ment, without at least his supposed sanction, can not 
give a valid command to an ensign. . . . Even if I 
belonged to your division I should not hesitate to 
repeat to you all that I have said at any time on 
this subject if a proper occasion offered ; and what 
is more, I should expect your approbation, as in my 
humble judgment refutation is impossible." 

General Jackson replied to this in a very angry 
manner, and intimating that General Scott might, if 
he chose, call him to the field. Scott replied, and 
declined to write the challenge, "as his ambition 
was not that of Erostratus," intimating that he 
ruined his only chance of acquiring distinction by 
killing a defender of his country. 

For years afterward Scott heard reports that 
General Jackson had made threats of personal chas- 
tisement whenever they should meet. In 1823, soon 
after General Jackson took his seat in the United 
States Senate, Scott made frequent visits there, and 
was entitled to the floor. Wearied at last with this 
state of things, he addressed General Jackson as 
follows : 

" Washington, December 11, 1823. 

" Sir : One portion of the American community 
has long attributed to you the most distinguished 
magnanimity, and the other portion the greatest des- 
peration in your resentments. 

"Am I to conclude that both are in error ? I al- 
lude to circumstances which have transpired between 
us and which need not here be repe:.ted, and to the 
fact that I have now been six days in your immedi- 
ate vicinity without having attracted your notice. 
As this is the first time in my life that I have been 
within a hundred miles of you, and as it is barely 



GENERAL SCOTT'S REPLY. 



45 



possible that you may be ignorant of my presence, I 
beg leave to state that I shall not leave the district 
before the morning of the 14th inst. 
" I have the honor to be, sir, 

" Your most obedient servant, 

"WiNFiFLD Scott. 
" The Hon. General A. Jackson, Senator, etcT 

The following answer was promptly returned: 

'• Mrs. O'Neil's, December 11, 182J. 

" Sir : Your letter of to-day has been received. 
Whether the world is correct or in error as regards 
my " magnanimity " is for the world to decide. I am 
satisfied of one fact : that when you shall know me 
better you will not be disposed to harbor the opin- 
ion that anything like desperation in resentment at- 
taches to me. 

"Your letter is ambiguous, but, concluding from 

occurrences heretofore that it was written with 

friendly views, I take the liberty of saying to you 

that whenever you shall feel disposed to meet me on 

friendly terms, that disposition will not be met by 

any other than a corresponding feeling on my part. 

" I have the honor to be, sir, 

" Your most obedient servant, 

''Andrew Jackson. 
" General W. Scott." 

General Scott was gratified at the reply, and 
called at once on General Jackson, who received 
him kindly and graciously, and the next day he de- 
parted for the West. In mentioning these facts Gen- 
eral Scott adds that " it is painful to reflect that so 
amicable a settlement only meant with one of the 



46 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



parties a postponement of revenge to a more con- 
venient season." 

This remark is in allusion to Scott's recall from 
the Indian War in 1836. General Jackson died the 
8th of June, 1845, General Scott being then at West 
Point. He was president of the Board of Examin- 
ers, which was in session when the news was received. 
He at once arose, and, addressing the board of visit- 
ors and academic staff, said : " Ex-President Jackson 
died at the Hermitage on the 8th inst. The informa- 
tion is not official, but sufficiently authentic to prompt 
the step I am about to take. An event of much mo- 
ment to the nation has occurred. A great man has 
fallen. General Jackson is dead — a great general, 
and a great patriot who had filled the highest politi- 
cal stations in the gift of his countrymen. He is 
dead. This is not the place, nor am I the individual, 
to pronounce a fit eulogy on the illustrious deceased. 
National honors will doubtless be prescribed by the 
President of the United States; but in the meantime, 
and in harmony with the feelings of all who hear me, 
and particularly with those of the authorities of this 
institution, I deem it proper to suspend the examina- 
tion of the cadets for the day, and to await the or- 
ders of the Executive of the United States on the 
subject." 

General Scott in his early training had studied 
the science of war, using the works of the greatest 
and best-known authors. He was in his early life 
a close student, and when he entered the army was 
better equipped in the knowledge of the standard 
authors on the science of war than most men in the 
army. In 182 1 he prepared a work entitled General 
Regulations for the Army, or Military Institutes. 



SCOTT ON ARMY BOARD. 



47 



This was the first book published in the United 
States which could be accepted as a manual for both 
the regular troops of the army and the militia. 
He had formerly, in i8i4-'i5, been president of a 
board of army officers which compiled a system of 
infantry tactics, a copy of the system which he had 
used in the camp of instruction at Buffalo in 1814. 
This was revised by another board, of which he was 
president, and was published in 1825. 

In 1826 a board of army and militia officers was 
convened by order of the Secretary of War, of which 
he was made president, for the purpose of reporting 
a plan for the organization and instruction of the 
militia of the United States, a system of tactics for 
the artillery, a system of cavalry tactics, and a system 
of infantry and rifle tactics. The reports on the 
plan for the organization and instruction of the mili- 
tia and that on the system of infantry and rifle tac- 
tics were written wholly by General Scott, and 
adopted by the board. Under a resolution of Con- 
gress in 1835 there was published a new edition of 
infantry tactics prepared by him. 

General Scott was one of the pioneers in what is 
known as the temperance reform, and preceded Dr. 
Lyman Beecher in his celebrated discourses on this 
subject. In December, 1821, General Scott published 
his " Scheme for restricting the use of ardent spirits in 
the United States." It was first published in the Na- 
tional Gazette, He did not take ground for total ab- 
stinence, but against the use ardent of spirits, brandy, 
rum, and whisky. He was also a member of the 
society formed in New York in 182 1 "for the pre- 
vention of pauperism, vice, and immorality." 

General Scott, in 1823, took great interest in hav- 



48 GENERAL SCOTT. 

ing the sons of General Paez, of Colombia, South 
America, admitted as students at the military acad- 
emy at West Point, which drew from General Paez 
letters of thanks to General Scott and President 
Monroe. 

A very serious controversy arose in 1828 between 
General Scott and General Edmund Pendleton Gaines 
on a question of rank. General Macomb had been 
appointed by President Adams major general of the 
United States army. There was at that time but one 
major general, and Scott held the rank of brevet 
major general, with an older date than Macomb's 
appointment, and he addressed a memorial to Con- 
gress claiming his superiority in rank to Macomb. 
He argued that from the beginning of the Revolu- 
tionary War down to the time of his appointment 
brevet rank was uniformly held to give rank and 
command, except only in the body of a regiment, 
etc. ; that there existed in law or in fact no higher 
title or grade in the army than that of major gen- 
eral, there being no such thing as a commander in 
chief, except the President. That he [Scott] held a 
commission as major general, July 25, 1814, of older 
date than that of either Generals Macomb or Gaines. 
Congress did not pass an act, however, sustaining 
his claim, and the result was a construction by the 
authorities that a brevet appointment did not con- 
fer additional rank. 

General Scott, on this decision of Congress, ten- 
dered his resignation, which was not accepted. When 
he was informed that the President and others high 
in authority sustained the action of Congress, he 
addressed a letter to Mr. Eaton, the Secretary of 
War, as follows : 



A QUESTION OF RANK. ^g 

" New York, November lo, i82g. 

" Sir : I have seen the President's order of the 
13th of August last, which gives a construction of the 
sixty-first and sixty-second articles of war relative to 
rank or command. 

" Humbly protesting that this order deprives me 
of rights guaranteed by these articles, and the uni- 
form practice of the army under them, from the com- 
mencement of the Government down to the year 
1828, when the new construction was first adopted 
against me, in obedience to the universal advice of 
my friends, who deem it incumbent on me to sacrifice 
my own connections and feelings to what may, by an 
apt error, be considered the repeated decision of the 
civil authority of my country, I have brought myself 
to make that sacrifice, and therefore withdraw the 
tender of my resignation now on file in your depart- 
ment. 

" I also ask leave to surrender the remainder of 
the furlough the department was kind enough to 
extend to me in April last, and to report myself for 
duty. WiNFiELD Scott. 

" The Hon. J. H. Eaton, Secretary of War^ 

To this the Secretary of War replied : 

" War Department, November ij, iSsg. 
" Sir : Your letter of the loth instant is received, 
and I take pleasure in saying to you that it affords 
the department much satisfaction to perceive the 
conclusion to which you have arrived as to your 
brevet rights. None will do you the injustice to 
suppose that the opinions declared by you upon this 
subject are not the result of reflections and convic- 



50 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



tions; but since the constituted authorities of the 
Government have, with the best feelings entertained, 
come to conclusions adverse to your own, no other 
opinion was cherished or was hoped for but that, on 
your return to the United States, you would adopt 
the course your letter indicates, and with good feel- 
ings resume those duties of which she has so long 
had the benefit. Agreeably to your request, the fur- 
lough heretofore granted you is revoked from and 
after the 20th instant. You will accordingly report 
to the commanding general, Alexander Macomb, for 
duty. J. H. Eaton. 

" To Major-General Winfield Scott." 

General Scott, on reporting to General Macomb, 
was assigned to the command of the Eastern Depart- 
ment, while General Gaines was assigned to the 
Western. From the assignment of General Scott 
to the command of the Eastern Department, for a 
period of nearly three years, his duties were those 
of an ordinary department commander, with no inci- 
dents necessary to be ingrafted into his biography. 

A treaty had been made by the United States 
Government in 1804 with the chiefs of the Sac 
Indians, in which their lands east of the Mississippi 
were ceded to the Government, but with the reserva- 
tion that so long as they belonged to the Govern- 
ment of the United States the Indians should have 
the privilege of occupying and hunting on them. 
The Sacs and Foxes were contiguous and friendly 
tribes, and their principal village was on a peninsula 
between the Rock River and the Mississippi. Their 
principal chief was known as Black Hawk. The 
United States Government in its treaty acquiring 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR. 



51 



the title to these Indian lands made a guarantee 
that the Indians should be free from intrusion from 
any white settlers. 

Their lands were very fertile, and soon white men 
in large numbers began to encroach on them, and no 
adequate steps were taken by the Government to 
protect the Indians in their treaty rights. In 1829 
the Government ordered a public sale of lands which 
included a part of the Sac village. It was purchased 
by an Indian trader. This greatly disturbed the 
Chief Black Hawk, but he was assured that if the 
lands purchased by this agent had not actually been 
sold to the Government that the sale would be can- 
celed and the Indian occupants allowed to remain. 
Nothing more was done in the matter until in the 
spring of 1831, when the corn planted by a number 
of Indians was plowed up by white settlers, and 
many annoying trespasses made by the whites upon 
the Indian occupants. The Chief Black Hawk then 
announced to the white settlers in the village that 
they must remove. This resulted in a memorial from 
some of the white settlers, in May, 1831, to the Gov- 
ernor of Illinois, stating that the Indians were com- 
mitting depredations on them. The Governor called 
out seven hundred militia to remove a band of the 
Sac Indians, and so notified General Gaines. Gen- 
eral Gaines, on May 29th, replied to the Governor 
that he had ordered six companies of troops from 
Jefferson City to Rock Island, and four other com- 
panies from Prairie du Chien, to assist the Governor's 
militia in repelling the Indians. When the United 
States troops reached Fort Armstrong a conference 
was held with some of the Indian chiefs, but with no 
practical results. On receiving this information 
5 



C2 GENERAL SCOTT. 

General Gaines called on the Governor of Illinois 
for additional forces, and on June 25th Governor 
Reynolds and General Joseph Duncan arrived at 
Rock River with sixteen hundred mounted militia. 
The Indians from the Sac village, being informed of 
this movement, deserted their homes with their wives 
and children and crossed the Mississippi. The next 
morning General Gaines occupied the Sac village 
without opposition. 

A treaty was then made (June 30th) by General 
Gaines and Governor Reynolds with the Sacs, by 
which the Indians agreed to take up their abode west 
of the Mississippi River. In April, 1832, Chief Black 
Hawk and his tribe recrossed the Mississippi, in vio- 
lation of the treaty previously made, for the purpose 
of joining the Winnebagoes and making a crop of 
corn and beans. 

General Henry Atkinson at this time was in com- 
mand of Fort Armstrong. He notified Black Hawk 
that he must recross the river or be driven back. 
The Indians refused to obey the order. Black Hawk 
endeavored to enlist some of the Northwestern tribes 
to join him, but failing to gain their assent, resolved 
to recross the Mississippi. He was encamped with 
his tribe at a place which the Indians called Kish- 
wa-cokee. 

Some of the Illinois mounted militia were at 
Dixon's Ferry, on Rock River, not far from the In- 
dian encampment. Major Stillman, commanding 
some three hundred volunteers, moved from Dixon's 
Ferry to Sycamore Creek on a scouting expedition. 
Black Hawk, being apprised of their approach, sent 
three of his young Indians bearing a white flag to 
meet them. One of these young Indians was cap- 



GENERAL SCOTT ORDERED TO ILLINOIS. 



53 



tured and killed. Another party of five Indians, fol- 
lowing the flag-of-truce bearers to assist in pacific 
negotiations, were met by the whites and two of them 
killed. The Illinois militia moved on and crossed 
Sycamore Creek. Black Hawk, who was exasperated 
at the killing of his men whom he had sent under 
flag of truce, advanced with his warriors on May 
14th, met the Illinois militia, engaged and defeated 
them, and forced them to recross the creek. 

This success greatly encouraged the Indians, but 
created great alarm and excitement with the white 
people of Illinois. Many small battles took place 
after this between the whites and Indians, and the 
war was brought to a close by the delivery of Black 
Hawk to the Indian agent, General Street, August 
27th, by two of his followers who betrayed him. 
This war created necessarily great excitement and 
alarm in Illinois. It was the general expectation 
that the Winnebagoes and Pottawattomies would 
sympathize with Black Hawk, and the result would 
be a general Indian war. At this juncture General 
Scott was ordered to proceed to Illinois and take 
command of the forces to bring the Indians into 
subjugation. In July, acting under this order, he left 
Buffalo with about one thousand troops, destined for 
Chicago. The general and his staff, with about two 
hundred and twenty men, embarked on the steam- 
boat Sheldon Thompson, and on July 8th it was an- 
nounced that several of the soldiers were attacked 
with Asiatic cholera. The vessel arrived at the vil- 
lage of Chicago on the loth with eighty sick men on 
board, one officer and fifty-one soldiers having died 
during the passage. 

The fate of the troops who were embarked in 



54 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Other vessels was even worse than those on the 
Thompson. Of the one thousand men who left Buf- 
falo only about four hundred survived. General 
Scott gave every attention to the sick, exposing him- 
self without fear day and night in seeing to the 
wants of his men. Leaving Colonel Abram Eustis 
in command, he proceeded to join General Atkinson 
at Prairie du Chien, which he reached on the 3d of 
August. The engagement called the Battle of Bad 
Axe had been fought before his arrival. He was 
here again confronted with the plague of cholera, 
which had broken out in Atkinson's command at 
Rock Island, and he devoted himself to the care of 
the sick and the consolation of the dying. 

In this connection an extract from the Richmond 
Enquirer of August 7, 1832, will be of interest: 

" Louisville, JiUy 2'j^ 1832. — The following is 
the latest official intelligence from Chicago. We are 
indebted to a commercial friend for it. — Advertiser. 

" ' Headquarters Northwestern Army, 
" ' Chicago, July ij, 1832. 

" ' Sir : To prevent or to correct the exaggera- 
tions of rumor in respect to the existence of cholera 
at this place, I address myself to your Excellency. 
Four steamers were engaged at Buffalo to transport 
United States troops and supplies to Chicago. 

" ' In the headmost of these boats, the Sheldon 
Thompson, I, with my staff and four companies, a 
part of Colonel Eustis's command, arrived here on 
the 8th. All on board were in high health and 
spirits, but the next morning six cases of undoubted 
cholera presented themselves. The disease rapidly 



LETTER TO GOVERNOR REYNOLDS. 



55 



spread itself for the next three days. About one 
hundred and twenty persons have been affected. 

"'Under a late act of Congress six companies of 
rangers are to be raised and marched to this place. 
General Dodge, of Michigan, is appointed major of 
the battalion, and I have seen the names of the cap- 
tains, but I do not know where to address them. I 
am afraid that the report from this place in respect 
to cholera may seriously retard the raising of this 
force. 

" ' I wish, therefore, that your Excellency would 
give publicity to the measures I have adopted to pre- 
vent the spread of the disease, and of my determina- 
tion not to allow any junction or communication 
between uninfected and infected troops. 

" ' The war is not at an end, and may not be 
brought to a close for some time. The rangers may 
reach the theatre of operations in time to give the 
final blow. As they approach this place I shall take 
care of their health and general wants. 

" ' I write in great haste, and may not have time 
to cause my letter to be copied. It will be put in 
some post office to be forthwith forwarded. I have 
the honor to be 

"'Your Excellency's most obedient servant, 

"'WiNFiELD Scott. 

" ' Ilis Excellency, Governor Reynolds.' " 

From the Richmond Enquirer, October 12, i8j2. 

" In laying the following article before our readers, 
our own personal feelings, as well as a just sense of 
gratitude to a meritorious officer, prompts us to add 
that we have known Winfield Scott long and have 
known him intimately, and that the conduct here at- 



56 GENERAL SCOTT. 

tributed to him is precisely such as we should have 
expected, from his ardent patriotism, his humane dis- 
position, and his distinguished intelligence." 

From the Illinois Galenian, September 12, i8j2. 

'' General Scott. — Perhaps on no former occa- 
sion has a more arduous and responsible duty been 
confided to any officer of our Government than that 
with which this gentleman has been clothed, in prose- 
cuting to final issue the savage war upon our bor- 
ders. And we hesitate not to say that in our esti- 
mation a better selection could not have been made. 

" It might suffice, m justification of this assertion, 
to instance the promptitude of his movements to the 
scene of action, the ease with which he overcame 
space, and the facility with which he surmounted 
all obstacles opposed to the accomplishment of his 
object. 

" But he had an enemy to encounter far more 
terrible than Black Hawk and his adherents — an 
enemy that bid defiance to military prowess and 
baffled all the skill of the tactician. 

"That loathsome epidemic, the direful scourge 
of the Eastern hemisphere, the cholera, invaded his 
camp. Here was a new foe that had never yet been 
conquered. Victim after victim fell under its rav- 
ages. The general might have retired to some 
healthy clime, where he would have been freed from 
this pestilence, but not while his officers and men 
were falling around him ; humanity prompted him to 
remain and succor a distressed army. During our 
stay at Rock Island the cholera commenced its work 
of death ; and seeing the general almost every day, 
we had frequent opportunities of witnessing his un- 



BREAKING OUT OF CHOLERA. 



57 



tiring perseverance in and constant personal atten- 
tion to all those duties appertaining to his official 
station, the calls of humanity, and the best interests 
of the country. 

*' On the arrival of the companies from Chicago 
(among whom the cholera had been severe) they 
were stationed on an island in Rock River, several 
miles from the fort, and all communication prohib- 
ited by special order. Some of his aids, on their 
way to Rock Island, having violated this order 
(without knowing it was given), were immediately 
ordered back to Rock River, while the general was 
left alone to perform all their respective duties. 
When a soldier was attacked with cholera he was 
the first to render assistance by the application of 
friction to the extremities in order to attract the 
fluids from the large internal vessels to the surface 
of the body. At the bake-house we found him one 
day giving instructions how to make the most 
wholesome bread, and on the next day we beheld 
one of his bakers consigned to the tomb. And if we 
follow him on, we next find him instructing those 
employed in the culinary art, so cautious is he 
about everything that his men eat and drink. And 
in order to insure temperance among the soldiers, 
he issued an order requiring every man found drunk 
to dig a grave. 

" In his orders he was bound to be severe, and 
in their enforcement he was equally rigid. His 
whole soul seemed to be devoted to the benefit of 
his army. 

" On one occasion he observed that his own honor, 
the duty he owed his country and his fellow-men, 
required his personal attention at his post, and also 



58 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



the severity of his orders. And if, in attending to 
his duties, he should be so unfortunate as to lose his 
life, the army could get along as well without him, 
but he could not get along without an army. Thus, 
with Roman firmness and a disinterested devotion of 
life to his country, has he remained at his post of 
duty. Such conduct deserves the highest praise, and 
we feel confident that it will be awarded by a grate- 
ful and virtuous community." 

The cholera having subsided by the middle of 
September, negotiations were opened with the vari- 
ous Indian tribes at Rock Island. General Scott 
and Governor Reynolds were the commissioners on 
the part of the United States to make treaties with 
the Sacs, Foxes, Winnebagoes, Sioux, and Menomo- 
nees. The leading man among the Indians was Ke- 
o-Kuck, a Sac chief, who was of commanding ap- 
pearance, eloquent in speech, and a brave warrior. 
He was not, however, a hereditary chief, and for this 
reason his tribe deposed him ; but on General Scott's 
request he was again replaced as chief. General 
Scott conducted the negotiations in the way of 
speech-making at the request of his associate, Gov- 
ernor Reynolds. The speeches of Scott and those 
of the Indian chiefs were taken down by Captain 
Richard Bache, of the army, and are to be found in 
the archives of the War Department at Washington, 

The result of the treaties was the cession to the 
United States by the Sacs and Foxes of about six 
million acres of land, the greater part of which 
is now included in the State of Iowa ; and the United 
States gave in consideration of this cession a reser- 
vation of nearly four hundred square miles, on the 
Iowa River, to Ke-o-Kuck and his band, and agreed 



INDIAN TREATIES. 



59 



to pay the Indians an annuity of twenty thousand 
dollars per annum for thirty years to pay the debts 
of the tribe, and to employ a blacksmith and a gun- 
smith for them. The treaty also provided for ample 
space for hunting, and planting-grounds for the In- 
dians and their posterity. A similar treaty was 
made with the other Indians. General Scott, on his 
return to Washington, was complimented by General 
Cass, the Secretary of War, " upon the fortunate con- 
summation of his arduous duties," and he expressed 
his entire approbation of the whole course of his 
proceedings during a series of difficulties requiring 
higher moral courage than the operations of an act- 
ive campaign under ordinary circumstances. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Troubles in South Carolina growing out of the tariff acts appre- 
hended, and General Scott sent South— Action of the nuUi- 
fiers — Instructions in case of an outbreak — Action of the 
South Carolina Legislature. 

On the conclusion of the treaties with the Indian 
tribes, mentioned in the preceding chapter, General 
Scott went to New York, where he arrived in Oc- 
tober, 1832. A few days after his arrival he received 
an order to proceed to Washington. 

The passage of the tariff act of 1828 had pro- 
duced great excitement in several of the Southern 
States, but especially in South Carolina. By this 
act the duties on foreign goods imported into this 
country were raised much higher than by any pre- 
vious tariff. It was passed for the protection of 
American manufactures, of which at that time none 
were in the South, but all, or nearly all, in the New 
England States. 

The cotton planters of South Carolina opposed 
and resisted it on the ground that it was not only in 
violation of the Constitution of the United States, 
but injurious to their interests, and in the interest of 
other States as opposed to theirs. They argued, as 
it is now argued, that a tariff is a tax, and that 
this tariff discriminated in favor of certain portions 
of the country as against other portions, and that 



THE TARIFF ACT. 6l 

therefore it unquestionably violated the fundamental 
law of the land. 

This tariif act was passed on May 15, 1828, and 
on the 12th of June following the citizens of Colle- 
ton District, South Carolina, met at the courthouse 
in Walterborough and adopted an address to the 
people. Among other things this address stated : 
" For it is not enough that imposts laid for protec- 
tion of domestic manufactures are oppressive, and 
transfer in their operation millions of our property 
to Northern capitalists. If we have given our bond, 
let them take our blood. Those who resist these 
imposts must deem them unconstitutional, and the 
principle is abandoned by the payment of one cent — 
as much as ten millions." The address assumed 
"open resistance to the laws of the Union." 

Governor Taylor was asked to convene the Legis- 
lature. He declined to take action on the request 
of the Colleton meeting, on the ground that " the 
time of great public excitement is not a time propi- 
tious for cool deliberation or wise determination." 

George McDuffie, a member of the House of Rep- 
resentatives in Congress from South Carolina, and a 
man of high character and great ability, was the 
leading spirit in the opposition to this tariff and re- 
sistance to its enforcement. At a dinner in Colum- 
bia, S. C, he recommended that the State fix a tax 
on Northern manufactured goods, and proposed as 
a toast " Millions for defense, but not a cent for 
tribute." In the district of St. Helena, S. C, a pub- 
lic meeting was held at which this resolution was 
adopted : 

^''Resolved^ That, differing from those of our fellow- 
citizens who look to home production, or more con- 



62 GENERAL SCOTT. 

sumption of the fabrics of the tariff States as a relief 
from our present burdens, we perceive in these expe- 
dients rather an ill-judged wasting of the public ener- 
gy and diversion of the public mind than an adequate 
remedy for the true evil, the usurping of Congress, 
which (since that body will never construe down its 
own powers) can be checked, in our opinion, only by 
the action of States opposed to such usurpation." 

The reference to-" expedients, rather an ill-judged 
wasting of the public energy," was to the action of 
certain meetings in South Carolina where it was re- 
solved to wear only their own manufactures, and 
abstain wholly from those made north of the Poto- 
mac. The supporters of nullification defended them- 
selves on constitutional grounds and on the Kentucky 
and Virginia resolutions of 1798. Congress revised 
the tariff in May, 1832, modifying some of the duties 
imposed by the act of 1828. In October, 1832, the 
Legislature of South Carolina passed an act provid- 
ing for the calling of a convention of the people of 
the State. 

The object of the convention was "to take into 
consideration the several acts of the Congress of the 
United States imposmg duties on foreign imports, 
for the protection of domestic manufactures or for 
other unauthorized objects; to determine on the 
character thereof, and to devise the means of re- 
dress." 

The convention authorized under this act assem- 
bled on November 19, 1832. An ordinance was passed 
to provide for arresting the operations of certain acts 
of Congress of the United States purporting to be 
taxes laying duties and imposts on the importation 
of foreign commodities. On its final passage the 



NULLIFICATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 63 

word " arresting " was stricken out and the word 
"nullifying" substituted in its place. 

The substance of this ordinance was to interdict 
the action of the courts, and to require all officers to 
take an oath to obey the ordinance and the laws 
passed to give it effect. It also declared that the 
tariff acts of 1828 and 1832 were null, void, and not 
binding on the State, its officers or citizens. It fur- 
ther declared it to be unlawful for any of the con- 
stituted authorities of the State or of the United 
States to enforce the payment of the duties imposed 
by the act within the limits of the State of South 
Carolina. Other provisions were that no case of 
law or equity decided in South Carolina, in which 
was involved the question of the validity of the ordi- 
nance of the South Carolina convention, or any act 
of its Legislature to give it effect, should be appealed 
to the Supreme Court of the United States, or be re- 
garded if appealed ; and that, if the General Govern- 
ment should employ force to carry these acts into 
effect, or endeavor to coerce the State by closing 
its ports, South Carolina would consider the Union 
dissolved, and would proceed to organize a sepa- 
rate government. A union convention was called 
in South Carolina to endeavor to suppress the move- 
ment inaugurated by the ordinance of the recent 
convention. 

The States of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia — 
the first through its Governor, Gayle, and the latter 
by resolutions of their Legislatures — took strong 
anti-nullification grounds. On December loth Presi- 
dent Andrew Jackson issued his famous proclama- 
tion exhorting all persons to obey the laws, and de- 
nouncing the South Carolina ordinance. He said 



64 GENERAL SCOTT. 

in this proclamation : "I consider, then, the power to 
annul a law of the United States, assumed by one 
State, incompatible with the existence of the Union, 
contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitu- 
tion, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with 
every principle on which it was founded, and destruc- 
tive of the great object for which it was formed." 

" This, then, is the position in which we stand. A 
small majority of the citizens of one State in the 
Union have elected delegates to a State convention. 
That convention has ordained that all the revenue 
laws of the United States must be repealed, or that 
they are no longer a member of the Union. The 
Governor of that State has recommended to the 
Legislature the raising of an army to carry the se- 
cession into effect, and that he may be empowered 
to give clearance to vessels in the name of the State. 
No act of violent opposition to the laws has yet been 
committed, but such a state of things is hourly ap- 
prehended ; and it is the intent of this instrument to 
proclaim not only that the duty imposed on me by 
the Constitution — ' to take care that the laws be 
faithfully executed' — shall be performed to the ex- 
tent of the powers already vested in me by law, or 
of such other as the wisdom of Congress shall de- 
vise and intrust to me for that purpose, but to warn 
the citizens of South Carolina, who have been de- 
luded into an opposition to the laws, of the danger 
they will incur by obedience to the illegal and dis- 
organizing ordinance of the convention ; to exhort 
those who have refused to support it to persevere 
in their determination to uphold the Constitution 
and laws of their country, and to point out to all 
the perilous situation into which the good people of 



THE PRESIDENT'S ORDERS. 65 

that State have been led; and that the course they 
are urged to pursue is one of ruin and disgrace to 
the very State whose rights they affect to support." 

This proclamation, of which the foregoing are 
extracts, was signed on December 10, 1832. The 
ordinance adopted by the convention of South Caro- 
lina was passed November 24th ; and the Legislature 
of South Carolina, which had formulated laws neces- 
sary to carry out the ordinance, adjourned on De- 
cember 2 1 St. 

President Jackson, in anticipation of the troubles 
likely to arise, had, as early as October 29th, directed 
General Macomb to issue an order to Major Heile- 
man, commanding the United States troops at 
Charleston, stating that " it is deemed necessary 
that the officers in the harbor of Charleston should 
be advised of the possibility of attempts being made 
to surprise, seize, and occupy the forts committed 
to them. You are therefore especially charged to 
use your utmost vigilance in counteracting such 
attempts. You will call personally on the com- 
manders of Castle Pinckney and Fort Moultrie, and 
instruct them to be vigilant to prevent surprise in 
the night or day on the part of any set of people 
whatever who may approach the forts with a view 
to seize and occupy them. You will warn the said 
officers that such an event is apprehended, and that 
they will be held responsible for the defense, to 
the last extremity, of the forts and garrisons under 
their respective commands, against any assault, and 
also against intrigue and surprise. 

"The attempt to surprise the forts and garrisons, 
it is expected, will be made by the militia, and it 
must be guarded against by constant vigilance, and 



66 GENERAL SCOTT. 

repulsed at every hazard. These instructions you 
will be careful not to show to any persons other 
than the commanding officers of Castle Pinckney and 
Fort Moultrie." 

Two companies of artillery were ordered to Fort 
Moultrie on November 7th, and on the 12th General 
Macomb directed Major Julius Frederick Heileman 
that a building called " The Citadel," in Charleston, 
and which was the property of the State of South 
Carolina, should, with its State arms, be delivered 
up if demanded by the State authorities. He was 
further instructed to act in this matter with the 
greatest courtesy ; but should he be attacked, he 
must make a stubborn defense. 

This was the state of affairs in South Carolina at 
the time stated. On November i8th, President Jack- 
son, after a conference with General Scott, ordered 
him on a confidential or secret order to Charleston. 
The order was, of course, issued from the War De- 
partment by direction of the President, and the main 
points of it are as follows : 

"... The possibility of such a measure fur- 
nishes sufficient reason for guarding against it, and 
the President is therefore anxious that the situation 
and means of defense of these fortifications should 
be inspected by an officer of experience, who could 
also estimate and provide for any dangers to which 
they may be exposed. He has full confidence in 
your judgment and discretion, and it is his wish that 
you repair immediately to Charleston and examine 
everything connected with the fortifications. You 
are at liberty to take such measures either by 
strengthening these defenses or by re-enforcing 



LETTER OF GENERAL CASS. 



67 



these garrisons with troops drawn from any other 
posts, as you may think prudence and a just precau- 
tion require. 

" Your duty will be one of great importance and 
of great delicacy. You will consult fully and freely 
with the collector of the port of Charleston, and you 
will take no step, except what relates to the imme- 
diate defense and security of the posts, without their 
order and concurrence. The execution of the laws 
will be enforced through the civil authority and by 
the method pointed out by the acts of Congress. 
Should, unfortunately, a crisis arise when the ordinary 
power in the hands of the civil officers shall not be 
sufficient for this purpose, the President shall deter- 
mine the course to be taken and the measures 
adopted. Till, therefore, you are otherwise instruct- 
ed, you will act in obedience to the legal requisitions 
of the proper civil officers of the United States. 

" I will thank you to communicate to me freely 
and confidentially upon every topic upon which you 
may deem it important for the Government to re- 
ceive information. 

" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

*' Lewis Cass.** 

General Scott, acting in obedience to these orders, 
arrived in Charleston November 28th, two days after 
the passage of the ordinance. He found, on his 
arrival and after conferring with many of the lead- 
ing people, that the sentiment in regard to the action 
of the convention was divided, there seeming to be as 
many persons in opposition as those who favored it. 

His arrival created no special notice, as he had 
been in the habit of visiting Charleston about this 



68 GENERAL SCOTT. 

time of year in discharge of his duties as inspector. 
It should be added to what has been said in regard 
to his conference with President Jackson before 
leaving Washington, that the President announced to 
him in the most emphatic terms that " the Union 
must and shall be preserved." On asking General 
Scott for any suggestions he had to make, the gen- 
eral told the President that Fort Moultrie, Castle 
Pinckney, and the arsenal at Augusta should be 
strongly garrisoned. He also advised that a number 
of troops, sloops of war, and revenue cutters would 
be needed at Charleston to enforce the collection of 
duties on foreign importations. The President said 
to him : '' Proceed at once and execute those views. 
You have my carte blanche in respect to troops ; the 
vessels shall be there, and written instructions will 
follow you." 

The President at this interview invited General 
Scott to remain and take supper with him. He de- 
clined, on the ground that he desired to call on his 
friend ex-President Adams before leaving. To this 
President Jackson replied, " That's right ; never for- 
get a friend." 

On his journey he met with an accident and 
sprained his ankle. This turned out a fortunate 
thing, for it enabled him to delay so as to spend 
needed time in Charleston, Savannah, and Augusta 
without exciting any suspicion of the real object 
of his visit. Had it been known that he was there 
to make preparations for defense and to strengthen 
the garrisons, it would have excited the populace 
who sustained the action of the convention, and 
might have resulted in open hostilities. He visited 
Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney, and gave oral 



DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS. 



69 



confidential orders to enlarge and strengthen both 
places. Orders were also sent for re-enforcements 
in single companies, which excited no alarm. These 
important matters being accomplished, he went to 
Savannah and posed as a sick man, for the reason 
that an early return to Fort Moultrie might have 
excited alarm. In the latter part of January he 
returned by sea to Fort Moultrie, but his presence 
there was unknown to all outside of the fort. 

In the meantime the leaders of nullification had, 
at a large meeting, agreed that no attempt to exe- 
cute the ordinance should be undertaken before the ad- 
journment of Congress on March 3d following. The 
Legislature of South Carolina, at its meeting in De- 
cember, had passed laws for the raising of troops and 
providing money for the purchase of arms and am- 
munition, and many organizations of volunteers had 
been formed wearing the palmetto cockade and but- 
tons. A very decided and unexpected rebuff was 
given by the Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 
which decided, in the case of State vs. Hunt (2 Hills, 
S. C. Reports), that the ordinance which required the 
citizens of South Carolina to take a test oath of ex- 
clusive allegiance to the State was unconstitutional. 
It is a curious piece of history that the palmetto 
buttons worn by the volunteer nuUifiers were manu- 
factured in Connecticut. 

There was in Charleston, as in other parts of 
the State, a very large number of Unionists. Both 
parties in Charleston held frequent meetings, and it 
was with great difficulty that riots or encounters 
between the two were prevented. 

The ofiicers of the army and navy at and near 
Charleston during these perilous times showed great 



70 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



prudence. Their first public display was the cele- 
bration of Washington's birthday; but the most in- 
tense nuUifier could raise no objection to this. Dur- 
ing these exciting times a fire broke out in the city 
of Charleston, and General Scott, being one of the 
first to observe it, called for volunteers and went to 
the scene, and, with the assistance of the naval vol- 
unteers and men of the army, succeeded in extin- 
guishing the fire. This act of General Scott, second- 
ed by army and navy men, had much to do with quiet- 
ing the intense political excitement in Charleston. 

In the latter part of January, 1833, the General 
Assembly of Virginia passed a resolution asking 
Congress to modify the tariff, and also to appoint a 
commissioner to South Carolina and endeavor to 
conciliate that State. The commissioner appointed 
was Benjamin Watkins Leigh. On his request, Mr. 
James Hamilton, president of the South Carolina con- 
vention, called it to assemble, when it rescinded the 
ordinance, the troops which had been called were 
disbanded, and the whole State and country were 
happily relieved of an impending internecine war. 
Congress had passed the compromise act, and the 
United States troops and vessels which had been sent 
to Charleston were withdrawn, and peace and quiet 
again dawned on the lately excited city. 

Mr. Leigh, the Commissioner of Virginia to South 
Carolinia, says of General Scott's part of that historic 
period : . . . " General Scott had a large acquaintance 
with the people of Charleston; he was their friend; 
but his situation was such that many of the people — 
the great majority of them — looked upon him as a pub- 
lic enemy. . .. He thought, as I thought, that the first 
drop of blood shed in civil war — in civil war between 



MR. LEIGH, VIRGINIA COMMISSIONER. 71 

the United States and one of the States — would prove 
an immedicable wound, which would end in a change 
of our institutions. He was resolved, if possible, to 
prevent a resort to arms, and nothing could have 
been more judicious than his conduct. Far from be- 
ing prone to take offense, he kept his temper under 
the strictest guard, and was most careful to avoid 
giving occasion for offense; yet he held himself 
ready to act if it should become necessary, and he 
let it be known that he strictly understood the situ- 
ation. He sought the society of the leading nulli- 
fiers, and was in their company as much as they would 
let him be, but he took care never to say a word to 
them on the subject of political differences; he treat- 
ed them as friends. From the beginning to the end 
his conduct was as conciliatory as it was firm and 
sincere, evincing that he knew his duty and was re- 
solved to perform it, and yet his principal object and 
purpose was peace. He was perfectly successful, 
when the least imprudence might have resulted in a 
serious collision." 



CHAPTER V. 

Events that led to the war in Florida — Treaty of Camp Moultrie 
and its stipulations — Complaints of Indians and whites — 
Treaty of Payne's Landing — Objections of the Indians to 
complying with the latter treaty — Councils and talks with 
the Seminoles — Assiola — Murder of mail carrier Dalton — 
Murder of Charley Amathla — Dade's massacre — Murder of 
General Thompson and others — General Clinch — Depreda- 
tions by the Indians on the whites and by the latter on the 
Indians — Volunteers — Military departments of Gaines and 
Scott. 

It is proper to give as brief a 7'esti7?ie 2iS the sub- 
ject will permit of the events that led to the out- 
break of hostilities in Florida. 

General Jackson, when Governor of Florida in 
1821, urged upon the Government the necessity of 
adopting measures to send back to their own reser- 
vations the large number of Creek Indians who had 
left their nation and settled with other tribes in Flor- 
ida. He argued that this was an encroachment by 
the Creeks, and that an increase of Indians in this 
territory would lead to unhappy results. Colonel 
Joseph M. White, the delegate from the territory of 
Florida, fully concurred with General Jackson in this 
view, and so informed the Secretary of War. 

The Government, disregarding these wise sug- 
gestions, entered into a treaty with the Florida In- 
dians, September 18, 1823, at Camp Moultrie, stipu- 



THE CREEK INDIAN TROUBLE. 



73 



lating for their continued residence in the territory 
for twenty years. They were by this treaty estab- 
lished in the heart of the country, and their claims 
to the lands acknowledged and guaranteed. The 
treaty provided, among other things, that the Semi- 
nole Indians should relinquish all their claim to lands 
in Florida except a tract estimated to contain some 
five millions of acres, within the limits of which they 
agreed to abide. 

The Government of the United States agreed to 
pay to the Indians two thousand dollars to aid them in 
removal to the new reservation, to furnish them with 
certain articles of husbandry and stock to the amount 
of six thousand dollars, to furnish them with corn, 
meat, and salt for one year, to pay them forty-five 
hundred dollars for their improvements on their sur- 
rendered lands, to allow them one thousand dollars 
per annum for a blacksmith and one thousand dol- 
lars per annum for a school fund, and these last two 
allowances to extend during the term of the treaty. 
Complaints were made by the whites, and counter 
complaints by the Indians, of depredations, but the 
preponderance of testimony is that the whites were 
the principal aggressors. These Indians were slave- 
holders, having a number of negroes held in slavery 
by the same tenure that slaves were held by the 
whites in Florida. The whites commenced and car- 
ried on a systematic and continued robbery of the 
slaves and cattle belonging to the Indians, sending 
them to Mobile for sale. A protest was made by the 
inhabitants of ten of the Seminole towns, complain- 
ing in substance that the white people had carried all 
their cattle off; that the white men first commenced 
to steal from them; that within three years six In- 



74 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



dians had been killed by the whites, admitting that 
the Indians had taken satisfaction, but were not even 
on that score by three. 

Complaints from whites of Indian depredations 
and counter complaints from the Indians became 
so frequent that the President determined to endeav- 
or to make a new treaty, abrogating that of Camp 
Moultrie. For this purpose Colonel James Gadsden, 
of Florida, was appointed a commissioner to carry 
out this purpose. The Indians, by invitation, as- 
sembled at Payne's Landing, on the Ocklawaha River, 
on May 8, 1832. The points agreed upon were that 
the Seminole Indians relinquish their claim to the 
tract of land reserved for them by the second article 
of the Camp Moultrie treaty, containing four million 
thirty-two thousand six hundred and forty acres, 
and to remove west of the Mississippi River and there 
become a constituent part of the Creeks. 

The United States engaged to pay the Seminoles 
fifteen thousand four hundred dollars as a consider- 
ation for the improvements on the lands which they 
abandoned, and a further sum of two hundred dollars 
each to two negroes, Abraham and Cudjoe, each In- 
dian to be furnished with a blanket and homespun 
frock, and a sufficient quantity of corn, meat, and salt 
for one year's support after arriving in the new res- 
ervation. Two blacksmiths, at one thousand dollars 
a year, were agreed to be furnished for a period of 
ten years, and an annuity of three thousand dollars 
for fifteen years to be paid after their arrival in the 
West ; which sum, together with the four thousand 
dollars stipulated for in the Camp Moultrie treaty, 
making seven thousand dollars per annum, was to be 
paid to the Creek nation with their annuities. 



TREATY OF MAY 9, 1832. 75 

In order to relieve the Seminoles from vexatious 
demands on them for their slaves and other prop- 
erty, the United States stipulated to have the mat- 
ter investigated, and to liquidate such as were sat- 
isfactory, provided the amount did not exceed seven 
thousand dollars. This treaty was executed on 
May 9, 1832, and signed by Holata Amathla and 
fourteen other chiefs. Seven of the chiefs were de- 
puted to visit and explore the new country, accom- 
panied by their interpreter and by Major John 
Fagan, formerly Indian agent in Florida. The dele- 
gation reported their approval of the country, and 
the ratification on the part of the Indians was made 
by seven of the chiefs at Fort Gibson, La. 

This ratification by the seven chiefs was in excess 
of their authority, as they were only authorized to 
examine the country and report the result of their 
mission to a general council of the nation, which was 
to be convened on their return. 

Colonel Gadsden, the commissioner on the part 
of the United States, addressed a letter to the Secre- 
tary of War, in which he said : " There is a condition 
prefixed to the agreement without assenting to which 
the Florida Indians most positively refused to nego- 
tiate for their removal west of the Mississippi. 
Even with the condition annexed, there was a reluc- 
tance, which with some difficulty was overcome, on 
the part of the Indians to bind themselves by any 
stipulations before a knowledge of the facts and cir- 
cumstances would enable them to judge of the ad- 
vantages or disadvantages of the disposition the 
Government of the United States wished to make of 
them. They were finally induced, however, to as- 
sent to the agreement. . . . 



76 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



" The payment for property alleged to have been 
plundered was the subject most pressed by the Indi- 
ans, and in yielding to their wishes on this head a 
limitation has been fixed in a sum which I think, 
however, will probably cover all demands which 
can be satisfactorily proved. Many of the claims 
are for negroes said to have been enticed away 
from their owners during the protracted Indian dis- 
turbances, of which Florida has been for years 
the theater. The Indians allege that the depre- 
dations were mutual, that they have suffered in 
the same degree, and that most of the property 
claimed was taken as reprisal for property of equal 
value lost by them. They could not, therefore, 
yield to the justice of restitution solely on their 
part, and probably there was no better mode of 
terminating the difficulty than by that provided for in 
the treaty now concluded. The final ratification of 
the treaty will depend upon the opinion of the seven 
chiefs selected to explore the country west of the 
Mississippi River. If that corresponds to the de- 
scription given, or is equal to the expectations 
formed of it, there will be no difficulty on the part 
of the Seminoles. If the Creeks, however, raise any 
objections, this will be a sufficient pretext on the 
part of some of the Seminole deputation to oppose 
the execution of the whole arrangement for removal." 

On March 8, 1835, the Hon. John H. Eaton ad- 
dressed a letter to Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, 
raising the question whether the treaty of Payne's 
Landing was valid, it not having been ratified until 
1834. To this the Secretary replied that the ques- 
tion had been referred to the Attorney General, and 
that he had decided that the obligation of the treaty 



THE CREEKS AND SEMINOLES. 



77 



was not affected by the delay, but that the Indians 
might be required to move in the years i835-'37. 

The Indian agent called a meeting of the Indians, 
who assembled in council on October 23, 1834, The 
agent stated that he had convened them by order of 
the President, who said that he had complied with 
all the promises made to them, and that they must 
prepare to move by the beginning of cold weather. 
He further stated that he had a proposition to them 
from the Creeks, and exhibited a map of the coun- 
try allotted to them west of the Mississippi. 

The proposition from the Creeks was that the 
Seminoles, instead of settling in the country allotted 
to them, in a separate body, settle promiscuously 
among the Creeks. The agent stated in regard 
to this last proposition : " It is left, as it should 
be, entirely optional with you, and no persons but 
yourselves have any right to say you shall or shall 
not accede to the proposition." Other questions 
were submitted, such as the disposition of their cat- 
tle, whether they preferred to march by land or go 
by water, and the manner in which they desired the 
annuity paid them. The Indians then retired for a 
private council, and on their return Holata Amathla 
said : " My brothers, we have now heard the talk that 
our father at Washington has sent us. He says that 
we made a treaty at Payne's Landing, and we have 
no excuse now for not doing what we promised; we 
must be honest. Let us go, my brothers, and talk it 
over, and don't let us act like fools." 

At four o'clock in the afternoon of the same 
day the Indians met in private council and were ad- 
dressed by Assiola, in which he opposed emigrating 
from Florida to the Creek country, denouncing the 



78 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Creeks as bad Indians. He also denounced the 
agent for advising them to remove "from the lands 
which we live on — our homes and the graves of our 
fathers." He announced that when the Great Spirit 
told him to go he would go. But he said the Great 
Spirit had told him not to go. He also threatened 
the white people with his rifle, for he still had that, 
and some powder and lead. He also said that if any 
of the Indians wanted to go West they would not be 
permitted to do so. Assiola was followed by Holata 
Amathla, who strongly urged his brothers to abide 
by the treaty of Payne's Landing, and advised them 
to " act honest and do as our great father at Wash- 
ington tells us." Jumper, the sense-keeper, also 
urged a compliance with the last-named treaty, be- 
cause if they did not comply the white men would 
make them. Chief Arpincki proposed that Holata 
Amathla be selected to represent to the agent the 
objections of the nation to removal. This was de- 
clined by Holata Amathla, and Jumper was selected 
in his stead to speak the sentiments of the people on 
the next day. 

On October 24, 1834, the Indians again met in 
council. The agent asked them if they were ready 
to reply to the proposals made to them. Holata 
Mico and Miconopy made short talks. When Jump- 
er rose he complained that a treaty had been made 
or rather forced on the Indians at Payne's Landing 
before the twenty years provided in the Camp Moul- 
trie treaty had expired. He was one of the chiefs 
who had gone to look at the new lands and liked 
them, but did not like the neighbors they would 
have, and spoke of these latter Pawnees as savages 
and horse thieves. He told the agent that his talk 



TALK OF THE CHIEFS. 



79 



always seemed good, but that the Indians did not 
want to go West. Holata Amathla, who was also one 
of the chiefs who went West, objected to his people 
removing there for substantially the same reason as 
Jumper. Charley Amathla said that seven years of 
the time stipulated in the Camp Moultrie treaty re- 
mained unexpired. He did not say that he would 
not go, but did not think he would give an answer 
until the expiration of the seven years. He also 
complained that the distance to the West was so 
great that many would die on the way. In these 
talks the chiefs spoke well of the agent. The lat- 
ter, in reply, said : " I have no answer to make to 
what you have said to me to-day. My talk to you 
yesterday must and will stand, and you must abide 
by it." He then repeated the question he had pre- 
viously submitted, and told them to deliberate fur- 
ther, and let him know when they were ready to meet 
him. Another meeting was held on October 25, 1834. 
The agent told them he was ready to receive their 
answers. The speakers on the part of the Indians 
said their people still refused to comply with the 
treaty of Payne's Landing and leave their native 
country. They thought the agent was mad with 
them. General Thompson, the agent, told them he 
w^as not mad, but was their friend ; that what they 
said was not an answer to his questions, and added, 
"Your father, the President, will compel you to go." 
He argued that the treaty of Payne's Landing had 
been duly signed. This was denied by Miconopy, 
when the general told him he lied, and that by the 
terms of the treaty the decision of the delegation 
sent out to view the country was binding on the 
Seminoles, and they were compelled under its provi- 



8o GENERAL SCOTT. 

sions to move. He told them that the Payne's Land- 
ing treaty abrogated that made at Camp Moultrie. 
Replying to Charley Amathla's assertion that the 
last treaty had been forced upon them, he said : " You 
say that the white people forced you into the treaty 
of Payne's Landing. If you were so cowardly as to 
be forced by anybody to do what you ought not to 
do, you are unfit to be chiefs, and your people ought 
to hurl you from your stations." He explained to 
them the white people's Government; that the In- 
dians living among white, people might be charged 
with all kinds of offenses under the law, and would 
not be permitted to testify themselves ; that the 
Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, and Chickasaws who 
live in the States were moving beyond the Mississip- 
pi River, because they could not live under the white 
people's laws, and the Seminoles were a small hand- 
ful compared to their number ; that when the juris- 
diction of the State government was extended over 
them the Indian laws and customs would have to be 
abolished; and told them it was this view of the 
subject that had induced the President to settle them 
beyond Florida; and told them further that the land 
to which they were to go should be theirs " while 
grass grows and water runs." It was for this reason 
the treaty had been made with them at Payne's 
Landing, and for the same reason they would be 
compelled to keep it and comply with their bargain. 
His speech was a long one, reiterating, elaborating, 
and emphasizing the determination of the Govern- 
ment to make them move, whether they desired to 
or not. During this speech the agent was inter- 
rupted by Assiola, who urged Miconopy to be firm, 
and to assure the agent that he did not care whether 



•■ 



THE INDIANS. REFUSE TO MOVE. gj 

anymore annuity was paid or not. The agent closed 
by hoping that mature reflection would make them 
act like honest men, and not compel him to report 
them to their father, the President, " as faithless to 
your engagements." The Indians then, through 
Assiola and Miconopy, announced positively and em- 
phatically that their answer had been made, and that 
they did not intend to move. The agent told them 
that he was satisfied now that they were willfully and 
entirely dishonest in regard to their engagements 
with the President, and regretted that he had to so 
report them. He told them the talk he had given 
them must and should stand, and directed them to 
retire and prepare their stocks to receive their an- 
nuity on the following day. 

It will be remembered that by the treaty of 
Payne's Landing it was stipulated that seven chiefs 
should be sent to examine the lands to which it was 
proposed to remove the Seminoles. They were to re- 
port its general aspect and fertility to the nation, but 
were not invested with power to ratify the treaty. 
That was the province of the nation in general 
council. Jumper, as stated in these pages, was one 
of the chiefs selected for the purpose of examining 
and reporting upon the new country. General 
Thompson, the agent, had told the chiefs in council 
that " no person has a right to say to you, You 
shall go, or that you shall accede to the proposition 
made to you by the Creeks; but it is left, as it 
should be, entirely optional with you." This is in 
singular contrast to the words heretofore quoted 
from the agent, and altogether different from his 
assurance to one of the chiefs: "The President, 
backed by the Secretary of War " (the Indian Bureau 



82 GENERAL SCOTT. 

was then under the jurisdiction of the War Depart- 
ment) " and the whole Congress, never should compel 
me to act so dishonorably as to violate the treaty 
[of Camp Moultrie] made with your people. If such 
a thing were required of me I would spurn the Presi- 
dent's commission and retire to the bosom of my 
family." General Thompson reported to the au- 
thorities at Washington what had taken place, as 
just related, and stated that, in view of the circum- 
stances, no doubt remained that the Indians intended 
to resist the execution of the treaty of Payne's 
Landing. After giving a full statement of the situa- 
tion, he felt it his " imperious duty " to urge the 
necessity of a strong re-enforcement at Fort King, 
and the station of a strong force at Tampa Bay, as 
early as possible. " An imposing force, thus mar- 
shaled to coerce the refractory people, would have 
the effect to crush the hopes of the chiefs and those 
who had been tampering with them into a proper 
respect for the Government, afford protection to the 
neighboring white settlements, and supersede the 
necessity of Holata Amathla and his followers flee- 
ing the country." At this time the force at the two 
posts mentioned was two hundred and thirty-five 
men. General Thompson, sustained by Governor 
William P. Duval, continued to urge upon the Gov- 
ernment an increase of the military force. The lat- 
ter, in a letter to the Secretary of War, informed that 
official that even with a respectable military force 
stationed at Fort Brooke and Tampa Bay the agent 
and superintendents would have much difficulty in 
carrying the treaty of Payne's Landing into effect. 
The necessity for additional military force was urged 
by Generals Clinch and Eaton and Lieutenant Joseph 



GEN. THOMPSON ADDRESSES THE INDIANS. 



83 



W. Harris, the disbursing agent. These representa- 
tions went unheeded. In the whole of Florida there 
were but two hundred and fifty men of the United 
States army, while more than three thousand were 
stationed at other convenient points totally inactive. 
When the time came for the removal of the Big 
Swamp Indians they were so notified. But having 
been previously informed that they would be ex- 
pected to go, they did nothing in the way of plant- 
ing crops, and were destitute of food. Corn was dis- 
tributed by the agents to the most needy. It was 
concluded to make another effort to secure their 
peaceful removal, and on April 22, 1835, several 
hundred of them assembled in council. After the 
council was opened General Thompson explained to 
them the treaty of Payne's Landing, and read a let- 
ter from President Jackson, in which he besought 
them as his children, to whom he had always acted 
honestly and kind, to comply with the treaty and go 
to the lands selected for them, telling them they 
must go ; that they had sold all their land and did not 
have a piece " as big as a blanket to sit upon," and 
had no right to stay. The letter concluded : " If you 
listen to the voice of friendship and truth, you will 
go quietly and voluntarily; but should you listen to 
the bad birds that are always flying about you, and 
refuse to remove, I have then directed the command- 
ing officer to remove you by force. This will be 
done. I pray the Great Spirit, therefore, to incline 
you to do what is right." After the letter had been 
read through and interpreted. Jumper rose and op- 
posed the treaty, but deprecated force. Miconopy 
and others sustained Jumper's views as to the treaty ^ 
but were silent on the question of forcible resist- 
7 



84 GENERAL SCOTT. 

ance. General Clinch then addressed them, and told 
them the time of expostulation had passed, that per- 
suasion had been exhausted, and wound up by telling 
them " it was the question now whether they would 
go of their own accord or go by force." On the 
next morning the chiefs and warriors sent word to 
the agent that they wanted to talk to him. On as- 
sembling, Miconopy was absent. Jumper, the spokes- 
man, announced that he stood firm, but the veteran 
chief Fueta Susta Hajo (Black Dirt) spoke passion- 
ately and eloquently in favor of the execution of the 
treaty. After he had concluded, General Thompson 
placed on the table a paper, dated April 23, 1835, 
which pledged the Seminole tribe to voluntarily ac- 
knowledge the treaty at Payne's Landing on May 
9, 1832, and the treaty concluded at Fort Gibson on 
March 28, 1833 (the one signed by the seven chiefs 
who had gone to visit the country to which the Semi- 
noles were to remove), and freely submitting and 
assenting to said treaties in all their provisions. This 
paper received the signatures of eight principal chiefs, 
among them Fueta Susta Hajo and eight subchiefs. 
Five of the principal chiefs, Jumper among them, 
stood aloof and would not sign. Miconopy, who was 
absent, sent word by Jumper that he would not abide 
by the treaty. Upon this the agent said he would 
no longer regard Miconopy as a chief, and said his 
name should be stricken from the council of the na- 
tion. This action on the part of the agent was arbi- 
trary and wholly unauthorized, and was severely 
censured by General Cass, Secretary of War. 

On August nth the mail carrier Dalton was met 
by a party of Micosukee Indians six miles from Fort 
Brooke and killed. The body was found a few days 



COUNCIL OF THE SEMINOLES. 



85 



afterward, and General Clinch immediately sent a 
demand for the surrender of the murderers, but they 
eluded capture by seeking refuge in the " Old red 
sticks " in the neighborhood of Ouithlacoochee. This 
murder, it was claimed, was in retaliation for the kill- 
ing of an Indian in the previous June. 

On August 19, 1835, at the request of Holata 
Amathla and twenty-five others, a council of the 
Seminoles was convened. At the request of the 
other chiefs Holata Amathla opened the council, 
saying they had come to talk about matters of great 
interest. He referred to the treaty of Payne's Land- 
ing, the visit to the West of the seven chiefs, and the 
promises that had been made; stated that the Semi- 
noles wanted their separate agent, and paid a high 
compliment to General Thompson, who, he said, had 
always told them the truth The speech was for- 
warded to Washington, but no notice was taken of 
it. This nonaction on the part of the authorities 
at Washington served to intensify the distrust and 
suspicions of the Indians as to the good faith of the 
Government, and caused many of those who had ex- 
pressed a willingness to move to join the ranks of 
those who objected to doing so. Hostilities soon 
commenced. The Long Swamp and Big Swamp In- 
dians commenced pillaging. Three of them were 
caught and subjected to exceedingly cruel treatment 
by the white settlers. Many outrages were perpe- 
trated on both sides. The Indians were notified to 
bring in all their cattle, ponies, and hogs to be turned 
over to a United States agent and appraised, the 
owners to be paid on their arrival across the Missis- 
sippi. Six of the principal chiefs and some others 
surrendered their stock. The sale, however, was in- 



86 GENERAL SCOTT. 

definitely postponed. The Big Swamp Indians re- 
solved to retain possession of the country, and con- 
demned to death all those Indians who should op- 
pose their views. This caused many of the friendly 
Indians to take refuge in the United. States forts. 
About four hundred and fifty fled to Fort Brooke, 
and on November 9th they encamped on the oppo- 
site side of Hillsboro River. The hostile Indians, 
fearing that the secrets of their councils had become 
known, made every effort to win over to their side 
those who were disposed to comply with the treaty. 
Assiola and about four hundred warriors went to the 
house of Charley Amathla and demanded that he 
pledge himself to oppose removal. He declined, 
saying he would sacrifice his life before he would 
violate the pledge he had given his great father. 
Assiola attempted to shoot Charley, but was pre- 
vented by Abraham, the interpreter. Assiola left, 
but soon returned with a small party to the house and 
murdered him in cold blood. A number of the mur- 
dered man's followers at once made their escape to 
Fort King, while others joined the hostile party. 
Charley Amathla was regarded as a brave, resolute, 
and upright man. He had saved the life of Assiola, 
and his murder was an act of horrible ingratitude. 
The Indians now abandoned their homes and took 
refuge in the impenetrable swamps. 

At this time the entire military force in Florida 
amounted to four hundred and eighty-nine officers 
and men, and were distributed as follows: At St. 
Augustine, one company, fifty-three men; at Fort 
Brooke, on Hillsboro Bay, three companies, one hun- 
dred and fifty-three men ; at Fort King, six compa- 
nies, three hundred and fifty-three men. The Semi- 



FLORIDA INDIANS DECLARE WAR. 



87 



noles were located in the peninsula of Florida, a re- 
gion of fens, swamps, and creeks almost inapproach- 
able. They claimed that the Government had not 
carried out in good faith the treaties made with them. 
Their great leader and chief was Assiola, sometimes 
called Powell, and improperly spelled Osceola, whose 
father was a white man and his mother a woman of 
the Creek Indian tribe. Among most of the tribes 
of Southern Indians the children took rank from the 
mother. He was recognized among the Indians as 
a Creek. He did not inherit the title or place of a 
chief, but won it by his native ability, cruelty, and 
courage. In his early days he was insolent in his man- 
ners, and kept apart from the society of his people. 

When General Alexander Ramsay Thompson was 
agent of the United States for these Indians, on one 
occasion Assiola appeared before him and announced 
that the lands claimed by the Government belonged 
to the Indians; that the Indians could take care of 
themselves, and did not need General Thompson's 
services. He was arrested and placed in confine- 
ment, and after being imprisoned some time expressed 
regret, signed the treaty, and was released. Sub- 
sequently he rendered valuable service in arresting 
criminals, and regained the confidence of the whites. 
This confidence, however, was of short duration. 

War having been declared in the name of the 
Florida Indians, a detachment of volunteers with 
some regulars, under General Duncan L. Clinch, 
moved to the Ouithlacoochee, the Indian encamp- 
ment. Three days before the event which will be de- 
scribed as occurring at Ouithlacoochee, Major Francis 
Langhorne Dade, with a small command, had moved 
from Fort Brooke to relieve the post of Fort King. 



88 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Major Dade and his command had marched sixty- 
five miles in five days, intrenching themselves each 
night in their encampment. On the sixth night they 
were attacked by Indians and negro allies, and out of 
one hundred and twelve all were slain except three. 
The officers killed were Major Francis Langhorne 
Dado, Captain George Washington Gardiner, Captain 
William Frazier, Lieutenants William E. Basinger, 
J. L. Keayes, Robert Richard Mudge, Richard Hen- 
derson, and Dr. John Slade Gatlin. Total killed, 
officers and men, one hundred and seven ; escaped, 
three. A handsome monument has been erected to 
their memory at West Point. Returning to General 
Duncan L. Clinch's advance on Ouithlacoochee, here 
he was attacked by Assiola and his followers after 
he had crossed the river ; but the general succeeded 
in repelling the attack and driving the Indians. 
While the battle resulting in the massacre of Major 
Dade and his command was being fought, the death 
of Thompson and others was effected within a few 
hundred yards of Fort King, on February 28th. All 
of the troops except Thomas W. Lendrum's company 
of the Third Artillery, about forty strong, had been 
withdrawn on the 26th, to re-enforce General Clinch 
at Lang Syne plantation, with a view to his striking 
a blow at the families of the Indians supposed to be 
concealed in the swamps and hammocks of the 
Ouithlacoochee River, with the hope of drawing the 
Indian warriors out and bringing on a general en- 
gagement. All those attached to the fort or agency 
were directed not to pass beyond the picketing. 
Thompson slept inside the defenses and passed the 
greater part of the day at the agency, about one hun- 
dred yards beyond the works. The sutler, Rogers, 



THE MASSACRE OF GENERAL THOMPSON. 



89 



had moved his goods into the fort, but was in the 
habit of taking his meals at his residence, six hun- 
dred yards away in the skirt of a hammock to the 
southwest of the fort. 

On the day of the massacre Lieutenant Constan- 
tine Smith, of the Second Artillery, had dined with 
General Thompson, and after dinner the two went 
out for a walk. They had proceeded about three 
hundred yards beyond the agency office when they 
were fired upon by a party of Indians who were con- 
cealed in the hammock on the border of which the 
sutler's house stood. The reports of the rifles, and the 
war-whoop repeated, were heard within a brief time, 
other volleys more remote were fired, when the smoke 
of the firing was seen at the fort. Captain Lendrum 
at once called out his men, who were at that time en- 
gaged in strengthening the pickets. He was not 
aware of the absence from the fort of General 
Thompson and Lieutenant Smith; he supposed the 
firing was a ruse to draw him out and cut him off 
from the fort. Very soon several whites and negroes 
came in and informed him that Mr. Rogers, his clerks, 
and themselves had been surprised at dinner, and the 
three former had fallen into the hands of the Indians. 
A small command was at once dispatched to succor 
and pursue, but the butchery had been as brief as it 
was complete, and a last war-whoop had been given 
as a signal for retreat. The bodies of General 
Thompson, Lieutenant Smith, and Mr. Kitzler were 
soon found and brought in ; those of the others were 
not found until the following morning. General 
Thompson's body had fourteen bullets in it and a 
deep knife-wound in the left breast. Lieutenant Smith 
and Mr. Kitzler had each received two bullets in the 



go 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



head. The bodies of Rogers the sutler and Robert 
Suggs were shockingly mangled, the skulls of each 
being broken, and all save Suggs were scalped. The 
party was led by Assiola, and consisted of fifty or 
sixty Micosukees. Two other Indians were in the 
party attired as chiefs, but were not recognized. 
This information comes from an old negro woman 
who was in the house and who concealed herself so 
as to elude the Indians, and made her escape to the 
fort after the massacre. 

Information of the butchery was at once dis- 
patched to General Clinch. General Richard Keith 
Call, with Colonels Richard C. Parish and Leigh 
Read, having arrived on the 29th with about five 
hundred volunteers from the adjoining counties, who 
had previously been ordered to scour the country on 
the right and left flank, joined the United States 
troops, numbering about two hundred under General 
Clinch. Orders were issued for a forward movement 
at sunrise on December 29th. They arrived near the 
Ouithlacoochee on the 30th, and threw up breastworks 
around their encampment. On arriving at the river 
next morning it was found too deep to be forded. 
No Indians being in sight, one of the men swam the 
river and brought over a canoe. As only seven men 
could be taken over at a time, the work of crossing 
the troops was slow and tedious. General Clinch and 
Colonels Samuel Parkhill and Read crossed over, and, 
in conjunction with General Call, began the con- 
struction of rafts on which the baggage and stores 
could be crossed over. The regulars were all over 
by twelve o'clock, and Major Alexander C. W. Fan- 
ning marched them into an open field surrounded 
on all sides either by a thick swamp or hammock, 



BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS. qj 

and there formed them into line, awaiting the cross- 
ing of the volunteers. When about fifty of the 
volunteers had crossed, and the officers were en- 
gaged in superintending the construction of the 
rafts, an alarm was given that the Indians were upon 
them. General Call at once put his men in line, and 
the Indians opened fire, but the volunteers poured a 
heavy volley into the hammock, which silenced the 
fire of the Indians for a time ; but they soon collected 
their forces and opened a galling fire on the regulars. 
General Clinch ordered a charge, which was gallantly 
led by Major Fanning, but the Indians maintained 
their ground. A second charge was more successful, 
driving the Indians some distance back. The chiefs 
made every effort to rally them, but without success. 

During the battle General Call, Colonel John 
Warren, and Major James G. Cooper, with a number 
of volunteers, crossed the river at imminent peril, 
and the two latter immediately engaged and fought 
with the most determined bravery. General Call had 
formed the volunteers that last crossed into two 
parallel lines, placing Oiie above and the other below 
the crossing place, for the purpose of protecting the 
troops on the other side and those who were recross- 
ing with the dead and wounded. He therefore did 
not reach the field until the enemy were repulsed, 
though his services were eminently useful in direct- 
ing the crossing. Clinch at this time was not ad- 
vised of the disaster to Major Dade's command. 

The term of service of the volunteers having ex- 
pired. General Clinch marched them, on January 2d, 
to Fort Drane and disbanded them. In this last- 
named engagement the regulars and volunteers, 
numbering, all told, two hundred and twenty-seven 



Q2 GENERAL SCOTT. 

men — under the able leadership of Clinch, Major 
Campbell Graham, Major Fanning, Colonel John 
Warren, General Richard K. Call, Cooper, and Lieu- 
tenant George Read — succeeded in defeating over 
seven hundred Indians who had chosen their ground 
and were protected by the swamps and hammocks. 
The volunteer officers, to whom great credit was due, 
were Major (afterward Brigadier General) Leigh 
Read, whose horse was shot under him, Colonel John 
Warren, Colonel Parkhill (of Richmond, Va.), Colo- 
nel William J. Mills, Major Cooper, Captain Mar- 
tin Scott, and Captain William J. Bailey. The ser- 
vices of General Call and Majors Gamble and Well- 
ford were of great value. General Clinch makes 
mention of Major J. S. Little his aid-de-camp. Cap- 
tains Gustavus S. Drane, Charles Mellon, and Gates, 
Lieutenants George Henry Talcott, Erastus A. Ca- 
pron, John Graham, William Seaton Maitland, and 
Horace Brooks, of the United States army, and 
Colonel Mcintosh, Lieutenants Youman, Stewart, 
Nathaniel W. Hunter, Cuthbert, and Adjutant Joseph 
A. Phillips, of the Florida volunteers, of the officers 
of the medical staff. Special mention was made of 
Drs. Richard Weightman, Hamilton, Philip G. Ran- 
dolph, and Brandon. The returns of the killed and 
wounded were as follows: 

REGULARS. 

Killed, 2 artificers and 2 privates 4 

Wounded, i captain and 2 lieutenants 3 

Two sergeants and 4 corporals 6 

Private soldiers 43 

52 

VOLUNTEERS. 

Wounded, Colonel Warren, Major Cooper, and Lieu- 
tenant Youman 3 

Private soldiers _4 

7 59=^^3 



1i 



REQUISITIONS FOR REINFORCEMENTS. 03 

Previous to and immediately after this engage- 
ment the Indians divided themselves into small par- 
ties for the purpose of devastating the country. 
They made their appearance simultaneously in the 
southern part of the peninsula as far north as Pico- 
lata and from the extreme east below St. Augustine 
to the west, carrying off everything that was useful 
to them and destroying the remainder. At New 
River, on the southeast side of the peninsula, they 
murdered the wife, children, and teacher in the fami- 
ly of Mr. Cooley, carrying off provisions and horses, 
and setting fire to the house on their departure. 

The settlements in that neighborhood were aban- 
doned, the inhabitants taking refuge near the light- 
house on Cape Florida ; but they had been there only 
a short time when, the Indians making their appear- 
ance, they were compelled to seek shelter and pro- 
tection elsewhere. 

The ruthless destruction of property and of lives 
on the east side of the peninsula was heartrending. 
Their principal ravages, however, were on the east 
side from St. Augustine to the south. Major Ben- 
jamin A. Putnam, with a small detachment of men, 
marched into this country with a view to drive the 
Indians away. He was met by an overpowering 
number of the savages, and forced to retreat. In 
fact, no part of the State seemed to be free from 
these murderous savages. 

General Clinch made requisitions on the Governors 
of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama to aid the 
Floridians in their unequal warfare with the savages. 
It was felt by the citizens of Florida that the Gov- 
ernment at Washington showed great apathy, if not 
real indifference, to their condition. A meeting was 



94 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



called in Charleston, S. C, early in January, for the 
purpose of aiding the people of Florida with men 
and means, but General Eustis mformed the meeting 
that General Clinch had sufficient force and supplies 
under his command to subdue any number of Indians 
and negroes that could be brought to oppose him. 
On January 12th, intelligence having been received 
from General Clinch asking for six hundred men, the 
committee conferred with General Eustis and re- 
quested him to send a company of United States 
troops with arms and ammunition for the defense of 
St. Augustine. This was granted, and the citizens 
of Charleston chartered a steamboat and placed on 
board one thousand bushels of corn, one hundred 
barrels of flour, thirty barrels of beef, twenty barrels 
of pork, and ten tierces of rice. On January 20th 
another meeting was called to raise volunteers for 
Florida. The banks of Charleston subscribed twenty- 
five thousand dollars as a loan to the Government. 
The committee dispatched a schooner, loaded with 
corn, rice, bread, beef, pork, and military and hospital 
stores, and sent a physician to attend the sick. 

Four companies of volunteers were put in motion 
on the 27th for St. Augustine — viz., the Washington 
Light Infantry, Captain Ravenel ; Washington Vol- 
unteers, Captain Finley ; German Fusileers, Captain 
Timrod ; and Hamburgh Volunteers, Captain Cun- 
ningham. These volunteer companies arrived at St. 
Augustine on January 30th, and were at once sent 
out to scour the country for hostile Indians ; they 
were, however, relieved from duty on February 12th, 
on the arrival of the South Carolina militia and 
United States troops under Major Reynold Marvin 
Kirby. These troops were placed on the same duty 



SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA TROOPS. 



95 



as their predecessors, but there was no engagement 
with the hostile Indians until the latter part of March. 
An instance of the chivalric spirit of the South Caro- 
lina volunteers is worthy of mention. On requisi- 
tion of the Governor for three companies to be fur- 
nished for Florida, Colonel Chesnut, of Camden, called 
out his regiment. After telling them what was want- 
ed, he requested those who desired to volunteer in 
defense of their suffering neighbors to step forward. 
The whole regiment marched forward and tendered 
their services. At the same time four thousand dol- 
lars were contributed for their equipment. 

On receipt of the intelligence of the Dade massa- 
cre in Savannah, a company of Georgia volunteers at 
once embarked for Picolata. A meeting of the Rich- 
mond Blues and Richmond Hussars, of Augusta, was 
called for the purpose of rendering aid. The city 
council appropriated the necessary funds to supply 
arms and ammunition. The ladies of Augusta vol- 
unteered to make the uniforms, and in less than a 
week these volunteers were on their way to Picolata. 
These companies were composed of the dite of the 
city. Supplies of all kinds were sent by Mayor 
Joseph Beard to Fort Drane and the posts on the St. 
John's, which were poorly equipped with ordnance 
and quartermaster's stores. He also sent a six-pound- 
er cannon with necessary equipments of grape, can- 
ister, and round shot, ten thousand rounds of mus- 
ket ball and buckshot cartridges, and a general sup- 
ply of needful articles. Further supplies were drawn 
on their arrival at Picolata, 

This action of Quartermaster Beard was most for- 
tunate, as it was found that the military posts, by the 
neglect of the War Department or its subalterns, had 



96 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



been reduced to such an extremity that in case of 
attack they must necessarily have been shorn of the 
means of defense, and would have fallen into the 
hands of the enemy. Nothing but the timely arrival 
of supplies saved these posts from destruction. 

There were no means of transportation at Picola- 
ta, and the quartermaster procured horses at Jack- 
sonville for the purpose of forwarding one of the six- 
pounders to Fort Drane. Four of the horses on ar- 
rival were found unfit for service, but, fortunately, 
General John M. Hernandez was able to furnish ten 
chicken carts, and the quartermaster was authorized 
to make impressments for transportation. The Rich- 
mond Blues, one hundred and twelve strong, with the 
Camden and Glynn mounted volunteers, numbering 
twenty-seven, and the Darien Infantry of about thir- 
ty, under command of Captains Robertson, R. Floyd, 
and Thomas S. Bryant respectively, took up line of 
march as an escort to the two six-pounders, ordnance 
stores, twenty-five wagons and carts laden with pro- 
visions, and passed through the heart of the enemy's 
country, arriving on February 15th, without obstruc- 
tion, at the garrison of Fort Drane. 

Supplies under the same escort were at once for- 
warded to Fort King. Subsequently the following- 
named companies of Georgia volunteers arrived in 
Florida : The Hancock Blues, Captain A. S. Brown ; 
State Fencibles, Captain J. A. Merriwether ; Macon 
Volunteers, Captain Isaac Seymour ; Morgan Guards, 
Captain N. G. Foster ; Monroe Musketeers, Captain 
John Cureton ; Washington Cavalry, Captain C. J. 
Malone ; Baldwin Cavalry, Captain W. F. Scott. 
Major Ross, with several companies of mounted 
men from Georgia, arrived later, but owing to the 



MEETING OF GENERALS SCOTT AND GAINES. 



97 



advanced season, much to their disappointment, did 
not enter the field. 

Going back to January 15th, General Edmund 
Pendleton Gaines, who was on a tour of inspection 
through the Western Department, first heard of the 
troubles in Florida, and at once called on the Gov- 
ernor of Louisiana and requested him to hold in 
readiness a body of volunteers for service in subdu- 
ing the Seminole Indians. 

He also wrote to the adjutant general at Wash- 
ington, urging that no time be lost in succoring the 
troops in Florida, and saying, from his knowledge of 
the Seminole character, that at least four thousand 
men would be required to subdue them, protected 
and aided by a strong naval force. 

At that time the United States was divided into 
two military departments by a line drawn from the 
southern part of Florida to the northwestern ex- 
tremity of Lake Superior. The Eastern Department 
was under the command of General Winfield Scott, 
and the Western under that of General Gaines, and 
by reference to a map it will be seen that the line 
passed directly through the theater of hostilities in 
Florida. The meeting of these two distinguished 
generals was purely accidental. General Scott was in 
Washingt9n when the news was received of General 
Clinch's engagement with the Seminoles. After dis- 
patching his letter to the adjutant general. General 
Gaines proceeded to Pensacola for the purpose of 
getting the co-operation of the naval forces at that 
station. He found, however, that Commodores Dallas 
and Bolton and Captain Webb had received orders to 
direct their attention to the inlets of Florida, whence 
they had sailed. He received here the most alarm- 



98 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



ing intelligence of the state of affairs in Florida. He 
proceeded to Mobile on January i8th, and there 
learned that Fort Brooke was invested by the In- 
dians and the garrison in great danger of being cut 
off and slaughtered. He at once sent an express to 
General Clinch, supposed to be at Fort King, stating 
that he would arrive at Fort Brooke about February 
8th with seven hundred men, and requested General 
Clinch to take the field and march southward and 
form a junction with him at Fort Brooke. 

As the crisis demanded immediate action, and 
General Scott being present to receive the instruc- 
tions of the Government in person, he was charged 
with the direction of the campaign without regard to 
department boundaries. General Gaines had left his 
headquarters at Memphis, Tenn., on a tour of inspec- 
tion through his department, and it was very uncer- 
tam when or where the orders and instructions of 
the Government would reach him; and as the imme- 
diate services of an officer of high rank of mind and 
discreet judgment were required to maintain the neu- 
trality of the United States during the war between 
theTexansand Mexicans, General Gaines was select- 
ed for that important duty. However, the official 
dispatches did not reach General Gaines until he 
had already taken the field in Florida and marched 
from Fort Brooke to Fort King, within ninety-five 
miles of where General Scott had established his 
headquarters. 

In pursuance of this plan, Lieutenant-Colonel 
David E. Twiggs was ordered to receive into service 
the eight companies of volunteers requested of the 
Governor of Louisiana, adding them to the command 
of such regular troops as might be in the vicinity of 



ARRIVAL AT HILLSBORO BAY. qq 

New Orleans, all to be held in readiness for a move- 
ment to Tampa Bay. The troops were mustered 
into service on February 3d. General Gaines having 
arrived in New Orleans on January 27th, chartered 
three steamers to convey the troops and stores. The 
Legislature of Louisiana had appropriated eighty- 
five thousand dollars for the equipment of her vol- 
unteers, and on February 4th the chartered steamers, 
with the Louisiana volunteers and one company of 
regulars, were under way, and on the same day an- 
other steamer, with Colonel Twiggs and Companies 
B, E, G, H, I, and K of the regulars, left New Orleans. 
The vessels arrived safely at Hillsboro Bay, four 
miles distant from the garrison, on February 8th, 9th, 
and loth, and the troops were immediately disem- 
barked and camped just outside of the fort. 

The fort was a triangular work formed by pickets 
with blockhouses at the apex, the base resting on 
the bay and flanked on the west by Hillsboro River. 
It was found that there were at the fort about two 
hundred regular troops, composed of Companies A, 
B, C, and H of the Second Artillery, and Company A 
of the Fourth Infantry, with Majors Francis S. Belton, 
Richard Augustus Zantzinger, and John Mountford, 
Lieutenants John Breckenridge Grayson, Samuel 
McKenzie, John Charles Casey, Thomas C. Legate, 
Edwin Wright Morgan, Augustus Porter Allen, and 
Benjamin Alvord, and Surgeons Henry Lee Heiskell 
and Reynolds. Major Belton was the commanding 
officer of the post. 

General Gaines, having received instructions at 
Pensacola from the Secretary of War to repair and 
take charge of the forces which were assembling on 
the Mexican frontier, announced the fact to Colo- 



lOO GENERAL SCOTT. 

nel Twiggs ; but the troops, on hearing this, mani- 
fested great dissatisfaction, and insisted that as they 
had volunteered to go under the command of Gen- 
eral Gaines, he in good faith should be their leader. 
Following is the text of the letter of the Secretary 
of War to General Gaines : 

" War Department, Washington, January 2 j, i8jS- 
" Sir : I am instructed by the President to request 
that you will repair to some proper position near the 
western frontier of the State of Louisiana, and there 
assume the personal command of all the troops of 
the United States which are or may be employed 
in any part of the region adjoining the Mexican 
boundary. 

''It is not the intention of this order to change at 
all the relations between yourself and the military de- 
partments under your command, to require your per- 
sonal presence at a point where public considerations 
demand the exercise of great discretion and pru- 
dence. . . ." 

The pressure not only from the troops in the field 
but from outside sources was so great that Gen- 
eral Gaines felt it his duty to enter the field. Be- 
sides, that was thought a propitious time to begin ac- 
tive operations, as the day before the arrival of the 
Louisiana troops the friendly Indians had engaged 
the hostiles in a battle about four miles from Fort 
Brooke. Although at this date, as before mentioned. 
General Scott in Washington had been ordered to 
assume command in Florida, General Gaines was en- 
tirely ignorant of such order. 

Orders were accordingly issued assigning officers 
to their respective duties. Captain Ethan A. Hitch- 



ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. iqi 

cock, First Infantry, was announced Assistant In- 
spector General of the Department, and Lieutenant 
James Farley Izard, of the Dragoons, to be Acting 
Brigade Major. The artillery and infantry of the 
United States army, together with the Louisiana 
volunteer forces under Adjutant-General Persifor 
F. Smith, were to constitute " the light brigade." 
(Here is an instance of a staff officer being assigned 
to command troops.) The whole force to be under 
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel David E. 
Twiggs, Fourth Infantry. 

The Louisiana volunteers were divided into two 
battalions, the first composed of the companies of 
Captains Burt, Lee, Williams, Rogers, and Thistle, 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Lawson, Surgeon. 
(Here is another case of a staff officer and surgeon 
ordered to the command of troops.) The second 
battalion was composed of the companies of Cap- 
tains Samuel F. Marks, William H. Ker, Magee, 
Smith, Abadie, and Barr, under Major Marks, the regi- 
ment to be commanded by Colonel Persifor F. Smith. 
Orders for marching were issued on the 13th, the 
troops to be supplied with forty rounds of ammuni- 
tion and ten days' rations, five of which were to be car- 
ried in haversacks. During the Florida campaign the 
only articles drawn by the private volunteer soldiers 
were bread or flour, pork or beef, while only a few 
drew salt, sugar, and coffee. Major Richard M. 
Sands, of the Fourth Infantry, and Captain Barr's 
company of volunteers, amounting in all to one hun- 
dred and sixty men, were detailed for the protection 
of the fort, under command of Major Sands. 

The army marched in three columns, equidistant 
one hundred yards, with a strong advance and rear 



102 GENERAL SCOTT. 

guard. The center column was composed of one 
company of volunteers as advance guard, under 
command of Brigade Major Izard. Seven compa- 
nies of United States artillery and infantry, under 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel William Sewell Fos- 
ter; the baggage train, led by Captain Samuel Shan- 
non; six companies of Louisiana volunteers as rear 
guard, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Law- 
son. Right column : Four companies of artillery 
acting as light infantry, under command of Major 
Belton. Left column : Four companies of Louisi- 
ana volunteers, under command of Major Marks. 
The entire command consisted of nine hundred and 
eighty effective men, exclusive of the detachment 
under Major Sands, which, added to the force, would 
make it eleven hundred and forty men. 

The Quartermaster's Department at the post was 
in a very bad condition, destitute of nearly every- 
thing that was necessary for the comfort of the 
troops. There was great scarcity of ordnance stores, 
but, happily, an abundant supply of subsistence 
stores. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Review of the army by General Gaines — Arrival of General 
Gaines at Fort King — Lieutenant Izard mortally wounded — 
Correspondence between General Gaines and Clinch — Gen- 
eral Scott ordered to command in Florida — Disadvantages 
under which he labored — Preparations for movements — Com- 
mencement of hostilities against the Indians. 

General Gaines reviewed the army on Febru- 
ary 13th, and, accompanied by seventy-seven friend- 
ly Indians, took up line of march toward the Alafia 
River, to which point he learned that the hostile In- 
dians had gone. The march was made under many 
difficulties, the horses of the baggage train breaking 
down and necessitating the loss of valuable articles 
of camp equipage. Near dark they encamped six 
miles from Fort Brooke. The next day they arrived 
at Warren, on the Alafia River, eighteen miles from 
the fort, and received two days' rations, which Gen- 
eral Gaines had ordered sent around from Fort 
Brooke by water. Discovering no traces of Indians, 
he directed the march toward the grounds where Ma- 
jor Dade and his party were massacred. The boats 
having arrived at Fort Brooke with the sick and dis- 
abled and all superfluous baggage, the army moved 
in the direction of a deserted Indian village, passing 
the ruins of many fine plantations, and struck the 
military road near the Hillsboro River. 



104 GENERAL SCOTT. 

On the 17th they arrived at the river and halted. 
On the i8th, after burning two deserted Indian vil- 
lages near the Big Ouithlacoochee River, the friendly 
Indians accompanying the expedition requested per- 
mission to return to Fort Brooke. General Gaines 
assured them that there was no danger to be appre- 
hended ; that he only required them to act as scouts 
and guides, and that they were not expected to go 
into battle. 

The Ouithlacoochee was forded on the 19th, and 
that night a breastwork was thrown up on the ground 
which had been occupied by the ill-fated party of 
Major Dade. At daybreak of the 20th they resumed 
their march, and buried on their way the remains of 
Major Dade and Captain Frazier and eight other 
officers, and ninety-eight noncommissioned officers 
and privates. 

It now became a question of importance whether 
to continue the march to Fort King, which post was 
thought to be besieged by the enemy, or to return 
to Fort Brooke. To Fort Brooke it was sixty-five 
miles, and to Fort King forty miles north. A large 
number of the volunteers were destitute of provi- 
sions. It would require five days to reach Fort 
Brooke, and but two to reach Fort King. 

It having been reported at Fort Brooke that Fort 
King was assailed by the Indians and in danger of 
being cut off, and this opinion being strengthened 
by the noncompliance of General Clinch with the 
request of General Gaines to co-operate with him, it 
became General Gaines's duty to ascertain the cause. 
A large number of General Gaines's troops were in a 
destitute condition, and the senior assistant quarter- 
master, Captain Shannon, had a letter from the 



ARRIVAL OF THE ARMY AT FORT KING. 105 

Quartermaster General at Washington, dated Janu- 
ary 19th, which stated that large supplies of provi- 
sions had been ordered from New York to Fort King. 
With these facts before him, General Gaines deter- 
mined to move to Fort King, where he could ascer- 
tain the position of the enemy and at the same time 
strengthen the garrison. 

The army under General Gaines arrived at Fort 
King on February 22d. Finding the post poorly sup- 
plied with subsistence, he dispatched Lieutenant- 
Colonel Foster, with an escort of the Fourth Infan- 
try, to proceed to Fort Drane, twenty-two miles dis- 
tant, where General Clinch was stationed with four 
companies of artillery and one of infantry and two 
companies of volunteers, and endeavored to get a 
supply of provisions. The detachment returned on 
the 24th with seven days' supplies. Here for the 
first time General Gaines was informed that General 
Scott was in command in Florida, and that he was 
then at Picolata organizing forces and gathering 
supplies. 

General Gaines then determined that he could 
not remain at Fort King, as supplies were being ex- 
hausted as fast as they came in, and that to remain 
there would necessarily embarrass the operations of 
General Scott. It was also evident that the enemy 
would not be found by retracing his march to Fort 
Brooke, but that by moving by the battle ground of 
General Clinch, even should he not succeed in meet- 
ing the enemy, the mere presence of a large force 
would perhaps tend to concentrate him, and thus 
give security to the frontier and enable the inhabit- 
ants to give attention to planting their crops. Be- 
sides, he would find supplies at Fort Brooke, and on 



I06 GENERAL SCOTT. 

his arrival the command of Colonel Lindsay would 
be strengthened. 

The army, being provided with two days' rations, 
moved out on the 27th, and arriving at the river, a 
halt was called, the baggage train being under pro- 
tection of the rear guard, while General Gaines, with 
the main column and artillery, moved forward for 
the purpose of making a reconnoissance preparatory 
to crossing. Finding the river too deep to ford at 
the point reached, General Gaines and Colonel Smith 
made an attempt to cross about two hundred and 
fifty yards higher up. Reaching a small island in 
the middle of the river, a sharp fire was opened upon 
them, accompanied by the Indian war-whoop. 

The troops returned the fire, and the field piece 
under Lieutenant Grayson was brought into action, 
which quickly silenced the war-whoop. The engage- 
ment lasted about three quarters of an hour, during 
which one volunteer was killed and seven wounded. 
General Clinch's old breastwork was enlarged and 
occupied by the troops during the night. 

On the morning of the 28th the line was again 
formed, and after a circuitous march the army ar- 
rived at the crossing place. James Farley Izard, a 
first lieutenant of dragoons, being on leave of ab- 
sence, volunteered his services to General Gaines, was 
assigned to duty as brigade major, and was about 
forming the guard when the sharp crack of a rifle 
and the war-whoop gave notice of the presence of 
the enemy. His horse had received a bullet in his 
neck. When he dismounted he proceeded to the 
bank of the river, when a ball from the enemy en- 
tered his left eye. He said to the men, " Keep your 
positions and lie close." He died in a few days from 



BREASTWORKS THROWN UP. 



107 



the effect of the wound. A desultory fight was kept 
up from nine in the morning until one o'clock in the 
afternoon, when the enemy withdrew. The troops 
threw up breastworks, inside of which they encamped 
for the night. Captain W^illiam G. Sanders, com- 
manding the friendly Indians, was severely wounded. 
Captain Armstrong, of the United States transport 
schooner Motto, was wounded, and a soldier of Cap- 
tain Croghan Ker's company of Louisiana volun- 
teers was killed. General Gaines sent an express to 
General Clinch asking his co-operation by crossing 
the river eight or ten miles above and coming down 
on the enemy's rear. He notified General Clinch 
that he would not move from his position until he 
heard from him, and requested to be furnished with 
needed subsistence. The dispatch arrived on the 
following morning, and General Clinch sent it for- 
ward to General Scott at Picolata. 

On the 29th, orders were issued for one third of 
the command to remain on duty inside of the en- 
campment, while another third was engaged in 
strengthening the defenses. A detachment of two 
hundred Louisiana volunteers under command of 
Captain Thistle, an expert marksman, was detailed 
for the erection of a blockhouse near the river, while 
others were engaged in preparing canoes and rafts. 
Everything was quiet until ten o'clock, when a fire 
was opened by the Indians on the working parties 
and on three sides of the camp. The Indians were 
concealed in the palmettoes, about two hundred 
yards distant. They set fire to the grass and palmet- 
toes, but a sudden shift of the wind carried the fire 
in their direction. The firing lasted about two hours, 
when the Indians retired. Captain Thistle and party 



I08 GENERAL SCOTT. 

returned to camp without having sustained any loss. 
The firing was renewed by the Indians about four 
o'clock in the afternoon, but soon subsided. The 
loss in General Gaines's camp was one noncommis- 
sioned officer of artillery killed, and thirty-two offi- 
cers, noncommissioned officers, and privates wound- 
ed. General Gaines received a painful wound in the 
mouth. Lieutenant James Duncan, Second Artil- 
lery, Mr. W. Potter, secretary to General Gaines, 
and Lieutenant Ephraim Smith, of the Louisiana 
volunteers, were wounded. 

General Gaines now sent another dispatch by 
some friendly Indians to General Clinch asking him 
to march his forces direct to Camp Izard instead of 
crossing above. He also asked for some mounted 
men and one or two field pieces with a sufficient sup- 
ply of ammunition. General Gaines regarded this 
as a most favorable opportunity to attack the In- 
dians while they were concentrated, and he thought 
that with such re-enforcements as he asked, and a 
supply of provisions, he could end the war in ten 
days. He had notified General Clinch, on February 
28th, that he would make no sortie nor would he 
move from his position until he heard from General 
Clinch. In his second letter to General Clinch he 
wrote: " Being fully satisfied that I am in the neigh- 
borhood of the principal body of Indians, and that 
they are now concentrated, I must suggest to you 
the expediency of an immediate co-operation with 
the forces under your command. I have only to 
repeat my determination not to move from my posi- 
tion or make a sortie until I hear from you, as it 
would only tend to disperse the enemy, and we 
should then have difficulty in finding them." 



A PARLEY WITH THE INDIANS. 



109 



If General Gaines had made an attack he would 
certainly have lost one or two hundred men. He 
had no transportation to convey the wounded, and 
was short of supplies, as his whole train consisted 
of one wagon and two carts. Had he made an attack 
and routed the enemy, he had no means of following 
them, and his victory would have been barren of re- 
sults. The Indians made another attack on March 
ist, and renewed it on the next day. These attacks 
were repeated daily until the 5th, when they sent for- 
rward their interpreter, who wanted to know if Colo- 
nel Twiggs was in command, and saying they did not 
want to continue the war, but to shake hands and be 
friends. He was told to come at nine o'clock the 
next morning with a white flag. On Sunday morn- 
ing, March 6th, Assiola and Colonel Hago, with 
others, appeared for a talk. Major Barron, Captain 
Marks, and others met them. They said they wanted 
to stop fighting ; that they had taken up arms against 
the whites because they had been badly treated ; 
that the whites had killed many of their men; that 
they would stop the war if the whites were with- 
drawn, and would not cross the river. 

Major Barron replied that he would communicate 
what they said to General Gaines. Jumper asked if 
Colonel Twiggs was in camp. He was answered in 
the affirmative, but was told that General Gaines was 
in command. General Gaines directed Captain Hitch- 
cock, of his staff, accompanied by Captain Marks, 
Dr. Harrall, and others, to confer with Jumper. On 
meeting Jumper he expressed a desire to see General 
Gaines, and said they would like to consult their 
governor, Miconopy, who was then some distance 
off. The Indians insisted on seein^r General Gaines, 



I JO GENERAL SCOTT. 

and they were informed that he was ready to meet 
Miconopy, their governor. Nothing definite having 
been settled, they retired. At a subsequent meeting 
the Seminoles agreed to give up their arms and cease 
hostilities, and meet the commissioners again for a 
general treaty. 

In the meantime General Gaines was re-enforced 
by Georgia troops, under command of Captains 
Edward B. Robinson and Bones, the Florida mounted 
militia, under command of Captain McLemore, and 
some regulars, under Captains Charles Myron Thrus- 
ton and Graham, the whole under the command of 
General Clinch. They also brought beef cattle and 
other much-needed supplies. The Indians appeared 
again with a white flag and asked to confer with 
General Gaines, but were told that they must bring 
their governor, Miconopy, with whom General Games 
would confer. 

General Gaines now turned over the command of 
the army to General Clinch, and on Thursday, the 
loth, the army moved in the direction of Fort Drane. 
General Gaines left for Tallahassee and Mobile, and 
was the recipient of great attention by the citizens 
of those places. 

Such was the situation when, on January 20, 1836, 
General Scott was ordered to take command of the 
army in Florida, which had been increased to twelve 
hundred regulars, besides volunteers, by the time he 
arrived there. He left Washington the day after re- 
ceiving his orders and arrived at Picolata, on the St. 
John's River, and on February 226. issued orders 
forming the army into three divisions. The troops 
on the west bank of the St. John's River were placed 
under command of General Clinch, and constituted 



GENERAL SCOTT TAKES COMMAND. m 

the right wing of the army. Those on the east bank 
of the St. John's River, under Brigadier-General 
Abram Eustis, constituted the left wing, and those at 
Tampa Bay, under Colonel William Lindsay, consti- 
tuted the center. General Scott had been authorized 
to ask for volunteers from the States of Georgia, 
Alabama, South Carolina, and the Territory of Flori- 
da. Among other instructions given the general was 
the followmg: In consequence of representations 
from Florida that measures would probably be taken 
to transmit the slaves captured by the Indians to the 
Havana, orders were given the navy to prevent such 
proceedings, and General Scott was directed " to al- 
low no pacification with the Indians while a slave 
belonging to a white man remained in their posses- 
sion." There were a great many negroes among the 
Indians. In the band that massacred Major Dade 
and his command there were sixty-three of them 
mounted in one company. The negroes and Indians 
of mixed African and Indian blood were the most 
cruel members of the tribe. 

Re-enforcements of militia were soon added to the 
army. The great disadvantages under which Scott 
labored necessarily delayed his movements until a 
late period. He found the quartermaster's depart- 
ment very deficient, and had the greatest difficulty in 
transporting supplies to Fort Drane. His supplies 
of ordnance were very limited, and the greater part 
of those on hand were unfit for use. To penetrate 
a country like Florida, filled with swamps, morasses, 
and almost impenetrable hammocks, required much 
preparation and labor. There was no chain of posts 
or settlements through the country, and the army 
was compelled to carry a heavy load of provisions 



112 GENERAL SCOTT. 

and ordnance. To increase the difficulties, heavy 
rains had fallen which made the roads almost im- 
passable. General Scott arrived at Fort Drane on 
March 13, 1836, with a very small force. Believing 
the enemy to be concentrated at or near the forks of 
Ouithlacoochee River, he adopted the following plan 
of operations : 

The Florida army to constitute three divisions, to 
be known as the right, center, and left wings; the 
center being composed of Alabama volunteers, three 
companies of Louisiana volunteers, and two com- 
panies of United States artillery, amounting to 
twelve hundred and fifty men, to be commanded by 
Colonel William Lindsay. To move from Fort 
Brooke and take position at or near Chicuchatty, on 
March 25th. Signal guns to be fired each day there- 
after at 9 A. M. to announce position. The right 
wing, composed of a battalion of Augusta volunteers 
under Acting Major Robertson; a battalion of Geor- 
gia volunteers under Major Mark A. Cooper; Major 
John M.Douglass, Georgia Cavalry; eleven com- 
panies of Louisiana volunteers, under Colonel Persi- 
for F. Smith ; Florida Rangers, under Major McLe- 
more ; the regulars, under Colonel James Bankhead; 
and Captain Clifton Wharton's company of Dragoons 
— in all amounting to about two thousand men, to be 
commanded by General Clinch. This wing to move 
from Fort Drane and be in position near Camp Izard, 
on the Ouithlacoochee River, between March 26th 
and 28th. Signal guns to be fired at 11 a. m. The 
left wing, composed of the South Carolina volun- 
teers, under Colonel Abbott H. Brisbane ; mounted 
volunteers, under Colonels Goodwyn and Butler — 
amounting to about fourteen hundred men — to be 



ORDER OF MOVEMENT. II3 

commanded by General Abram Eustis. This wing 
to move from Volusia and take position at or near 
Pilaklakaha on March 27th. Signal guns to be fired 
at ten o'clock each day. 

Each wing to be composed of three columns, a 
center protected by a strong van and rear guard. 
The baggage train to be placed in the rear of the 
main column. The center and left wings, on as- 
suming their respective positions, will fire signal 
guns, which will be responded to by the right wing. 
The right wing will then move up the cove or great 
swamp of the Ouithlacoochee in a southeast direction 
and drive the Indians south, while the center will 
advance to the north and the left to the west, by 
which united movement the Indians will be surround- 
ed and left no avenue of escape. The operations of 
the army will be supported by the naval forces under 
Commodore Alfred J. Dallas, protecting the western 
coast of the peninsula, to cut off retreat and supplies. 

Colonel Lindsay, commanding the center wing, 
arrived at Fort Brooke with eight companies of Ala- 
bama volunteers on March 6th, where he found a 
battalion of Florida troops, commanded by Major 
Read, and on the loth was joined by one company 
of Louisiana volunteers, under command of Captain 
George H. Marks. 

On the 12th he discovered fires to the southeast, 
and it was soon reported that a large body of Indi- 
ans was encamped a few miles distant. Colonel 
Lindsay directed Major Leigh Read with his battal- 
ion to make a reconnoissance in the direction of the 
Indians. Major Read moved during the night, and 
coming upon the Indians at daylight, surprised them 
and put them to flight with a loss of three killed and 



114 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



six taken prisoners. He also secured a quantity of 
camp equipage and some beef cattle. 

Colonel Lindsay, not hearing from headquarters, 
determined to proceed as far as Hillsboro River and 
erect a stockade so as to place his supplies nearer to 
the scene of operations. This object having been 
effected, he left Major Read in charge of the fort, 
which he had named Fort Alabama, and returned to 
Fort Brooke on the 21st. During his absence dis- 
patches were received from General Scott announc- 
ing the plan of campaign, and requesting Colonel 
Lindsay to be in position at Chicuchatty on March 
25th. Major Read having been relieved, the line of 
march was taken up. The column being fired on by 
the Indians and several soldiers killed and wounded, 
Colonel Lindsay ordered a charge, which was exe- 
cuted by Captains Benham and Blount, commanding 
Alabama volunteers, and the Indians were driven 
from their covert into a pine woods. 

On March 28th, three days after the time men- 
tioned in the orders, this command was in position 
at Camp Broadnax, near Chicuchatty, in pursuance 
of General Scott's orders. The country over which 
they had marched was hilly, and in many places 
there were dense forests which retarded their move- 
ments, though the late period at which Colonel Lind- 
say received his orders would have prevented his 
arrival at the time specified in them. No censure 
can be attributed to General Scott for the delay, as 
it was impossible under the circumstances for him to 
have matured his plans earlier. 

General Eustis, commanding the left wing, arrived 
at St. Augustine on February 15th, and at once es- 
tablished a chain of posts at intervals of from ten to 



ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INDIANS. 



115 



twenty miles, extending along the Atlantic coast as 
far south as the Mosquito Inlet, in order to drive 
off the bands of depredators and to give protection 
to the plantations. Colonel Goodwyn's mounted 
South Carolina volunteers having arrived on March 
9th, the several detachments of the left wing, with 
the exception of Colonel Pierce M. Butler's battalion 
and two companies of artillery under Major Reynold 
M. Kirby, were put in motion for Volusia, where they 
arrived on March 21st after encountering great dif- 
ficulties, being compelled to cut the road nearly the 
whole distance. On the 226. they began crossing 
the St. John's River. When the vanguard, consist- 
ing of two companies under Captains Adams and T. 
S. Tripp, had reached the opposite shore they were 
attacked by about fifty Indians who were concealed 
in a hammock. Being re-enforced by George Henry 
and Hibler's companies, they charged the enemy and 
drove him. Two companies of mounted men were 
crossed above with a view of cutting off the retreat 
of the Indians, but they were too late. The loss in 
this battle was three killed and nine wounded. On 
the 24th, Lieutenant Ripley A. Arnold, with twenty- 
seven mounted men, was sent in quest of Colonel 
Butler and his command, who had not joined the 
main command, he having marched in the direction 
of New Smyrna. This detachment fell in with a 
party of twelve or fifteen Indians who gave battle. 
Two of the Indians were killed, and Lieutenant Ar- 
nold, having his horse shot, ordered a retreat, for 
which he was severely censured. The whole force 
of General Eustis's command being now concen- 
trated on the west side of the St. John's River, op- 
posite to Volusia, orders were issued to distribute 
9 



it6 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



thirteen days' rations, and the line of march to be 
taken up for Pilaklakaha, leaving the sick and 
wounded with two companies of Colonel Brisbane's 
regiment at Volusia, under command of Major Wil- 
liam Gates, United States army. The roads being 
bad, they were unable to march more than seven 
miles in two days. On the 29th they reached the 
Ocklawaha, and, constructing a bridge, crossed over 
after sundown and discovered fires on the margin of 
Lake Eustis, which they supposed to be signals of 
the Indians. Colonel Butler, with a small command, 
accompanied by General Joseph Shelton, who was 
serving as a private soldier, moved in the direction 
of the fires and discovered four Indians, who at once 
retreated. One of these Indians, Chief Yaha Hayo, 
was killed, while the others made their escape. On 
the 30th Colonel Goodwyn was sent forward to rec- 
onnoiter, and when near Pilaklakaha was attacked 
by Indians, having three men and several horses 
wounded. Colonel Robert H. Goodwyn was soon 
re-enforced by General Eustis, and a battle ensued 
lasting nearly an hour. The Indians were driven 
into the swamp. On March 31st an express was 
sent to Scott for information and for the purpose of 
obtaining forage. A signal gun was fired on the fol- 
lowing morning after their arrival, but not answered. 
The right wing having assembled at Fort Drane, 
General Scott ordered General Clinch to put his 
troops in motion on March 25th and take position on 
the Ouithlacoochee ; but a heavy rain prevented the 
movement until the morning of March 26th. General 
Clinch sent forward two flatboats drawn on wagons 
to await the arrival of the troops at the river. The 
movement was begun by Major Douglass with his 



ARRIVAL AT TAMPA BAY. ny 

mounted Georgians. The order of march was in three 
columns: the center, with the baggage train, headed 
by General Clinch, the right consisting of the Louisi- 
ana volunteers, under command of Colonel Persifor 
F. Smith, joined the line at Camp Smith, and the left, 
commanded by Colonel Bankhert, joined by Lieuten- 
ant Colonel William S. Foster's battalion of United 
States troops at Camp Twiggs, General Scott and 
staff with an escort of dragoons taking position in 
the center. Colonel Gadsden was appointed quarter- 
master general for Florida, and acting inspector 
general. When nine miles from Fort Drane informa- 
tion reached the army that some volunteers left in 
charge of a broken-down team had been attacked 
by the Indians and one man killed. On March 28th 
the column reached the Ouithlacoochee and en- 
camped near Fort Izard. The river bank was occu- 
pied by sharpshooters and two pieces of artillery to 
protect the crossing. Foster Blodget, of the Rich- 
mond Blues of Augusta, Ga., swam the river and at- 
tached a rope to a tree on the opposite shore and 
planted the flag of his command. The whole command 
was passed over, but the rear division was fired upon 
by the Indians, who were quickly repulsed by the six- 
pounders. On the morning of March 30th a party 
of Indians was encountered, charged upon, and 
routed, and the same party were next day met and 
driven into the swamp. The column proceeded on 
its march and arrived at Tampa Bay on April 5th. 
They here learned that Colonel Lindsay had preced- 
ed them one day, being obliged to return for neces- 
sary subsistence. 

It will be remembered that the center, being un- 
der Colonel Lindsay, took position at Camp Broadnax, 



Il8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

near Chicuchatty, on March 28th. They were fired 
on by the Indians, but succeeded in driving them off. 
As his supplies had run short and the original plan 
of the campaign had been defeated, Colonel Lindsay 
returned with his command to Fort Brooke, arriving 
there April 4th. When Colonel Lindsay reached 
Fort Alabama, near the Hillsboro River, he learned 
that the post had been attacked on the morning of 
March 27th by three or four hundred Indians, who 
surrounded the breastwork and continued the attack 
for two hours, when they were repulsed with a loss 
of fifteen. The garrison lost one man killed and two 
wounded. General Eustis, for the same reasons 
which moved Colonel Lindsay, marched on April 
2d from Pilaklakaha and encamped about sixteen 
miles from Fort Brooke, reporting to General Scott. 

The whole army being now concentrated at or 
near Fort Brooke, the plan for a new campaign was 
discussed. They had found but small parties of the 
Indians in the cove or swamp region, and it was 
thought that they had gone to the southern part of 
the Florida penmsula and concealed themselves in 
the Everglades. 

General Scott ordered Colonel Smith, of the 
Louisiana volunteers, to proceed by water to Char- 
lotte Harbor and move north, while Colonel Good- 
wyn, with the South Carolina mounted men, was 
ordered to the lake at the head of Pease's Creek for 
the purpose of driving the Indians down. Having 
destroyed a large unoccupied Indian village on the 
left bank of that stream, and finding no Indians, the 
command returned to Hillsboro River and joined the 
left wing. 

The Louisiana troops left Fort Brooke on April 



MOVEMENT TO FORT DRANE. ng 

loth and arrived at Pease's Creek on the 17th, They 
moved forward at once, but the weather was oppres- 
sive and the men were broken down by previous 
marches ; many of them being destitute of shoes 
and other clothing, it was found necessary to return 
to camp. Out of over seven hundred Louisiana 
troops who had volunteered in January and entered 
the field the beginning of the next month, but one 
hundred and thirty were now left fit for duty. With 
these, however, and a small detachment of marines 
from the United States vessels in that vicinity. Colo- 
nel Smith determined to proceed. He embarked 
with one half of his command in canoes, the others 
proceeding by land. Meeting no Indians, he returned 
to Fort Brooke on April 27th, when the Louisiana 
troops were ordered to New Orleans to be mustered 
out of service. Colonel Smith proceeded to St. Mark's 
and reported to General Scott. 

The right wing having remained at Tampa Bay 
from April 5th to the 13th, General Scott issued or- 
ders to General Clinch to move toward Fort Drane, 
and, after relieving Major Cooper, to co-operate with 
Colonel Lindsay, who had left Fort Brooke about the 
same time, for the purpose of penetrating the cove 
in a different direction from that pursued by the right 
wing on its march to Tampa, and to penetrate the 
forks of the Ouithlacoochee. 

While Colonel Lindsay was engaged in construct- 
ing a defensive work on the military road near Big 
Ouithlacoochee, General Clinch encamped near Fort 
Cooper and dispatched some cavalry under Captain 
Malone to relieve the garrison, with instructions that 
should he meet the enemy, he was to advise General 
Clinch at once. When about three miles distant 



I20 GENERAL SCOTT. 

from the main body the Indians opened fire and at 
once retreated. The hammock was penetrated and 
searched, but no Indians were found. 

Major Cooper was attacked by a large body of 
Indians and besieged for thirteen days. His loss 
was one man killed and twenty wounded. The In- 
dians not having been found in any large numbers, 
the two wings separated, the center returning to 
Fort Brooke and the right to Fort King, where 
they arrived April 25th. 

After the arrival of Colonel Goodwyn's mounted 
regiment, the left wing, accompanied by General 
Scott, took up line of march on the i8th for Volusia. 
A small party of Indians was encountered, but they 
fled and secreted themselves in a hammock. General 
Eustis's command arrived at Volusia on the evening 
of the 25th, and on the 28th all the volunteers from 
South Carolina marched to St. Augustine and were 
mustered out. On the arrival of Colonel Lindsay at 
Fort Brooke he was directed by General Scott to re- 
lieve the garrison at Fort Alabama, and disband 
the Alabama volunteers, leaving only regulars there. 

They were attacked by the Indians with a loss of 
four killed and nineteen wounded. General Scott, 
accompanied by Colonel Gadsden, Captain Augustus 
Canfield, and Lieutenant Johnson, with a detachment 
of seventeen men, embarked in a steamboat at Vo- 
lusia for the purpose of penetrating by the St. John's 
River the south part of the peninsula and selecting a 
site nearer to the seat of war as a depot for supplies. 
They proceeded to the head of Lake Monroe, but 
the boat was unable to pass the bar and they were 
compelled to return. 

In his report of April 30th General Scott says : 



EXTRACT FROM GENERAL SCOTT'S REPORT. 121 

" To end this war, I am now persuaded that not less 
than three thousand troops are indispensable — two 
thousand four hundred infantry and six hundred 
horse, the country to be occupied and scoured re- 
quiring that number." He further recommended 
that two or three steamers with a light draught of 
water, and fifty or sixty barges capable of carrying 
from ten to fifteen men each, be employed, but did 
not ask for the control of the operations he recom- 
mended, saying it was an honor he would neither 
solicit nor decline. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Scott prefers complaint against General Jesup — Court of in- 
quiry ordered by the President — Scott fully exonerated by 
the court — Complaints of citizens — Difficulties of the cam- 
paign — Speech in Congress of Hon. Richard Biddle — Scott 
declines an invitation to a dinner in New York city — Resolu- 
tions of the subscribers — Scott is ordered to take charge of 
and remove the Cherokee Indians — Orders issued to troops 
and address to the Indians — Origin of the Cherokee Indian 
troubles — Collision threatened between Maine and New 
Brunswick, and Scott sent there — Correspondence with Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Harvey — Seizure of Navy Island by Van 
Rensselaer — Governor Marcy. 

General Scott had, a short time previous to 
the events just narrated, complained to the War De- 
partment of disobedience of orders on the part of 
General Jesup, who had written a letter to the Globe 
newspaper in Washington charging that Scott's con- 
duct had been destructive of the best interests of 
the country. Mr. Francis P. Blair, the editor to 
whom the letter was addressed, showed it to Presi- 
dent Jackson, who indorsed on it an order to the 
Secretary of War to recall General Scott to Washing- 
ton, and that an inquiry be held as to his delay in 
prosecuting the Creek War and the failure of the 
Florida campaign. On Scott's arrival in Washing- 
ton he asked for a court of inquiry, which was or- 
dered on October 3d, composed of Major-General 



COURT OF INQUIRY. 123 

Alexander Macomb and Brigadier-Generals Henry 
Atkinson and Hugh Brady, with Colonel Cooper, 
General Macomb's aid-de-camp, as judge advocate. 
The court assembled at Frederick, Md., and was de- 
layed some time by the absence of witnesses. Gen- 
eral Scott addressed the court in his own defense. 

The finding was unanimous that the plan of the 
Seminole campaign was well devised, and prosecuted 
with energy, steadiness, and ability ; and as to the 
Creek campaign, the court decided that the plan of 
the campaign as adopted by General Scott was well 
calculated to lead to successful results, and that it 
was prosecuted by him, as far as practicable, with 
zeal and ability until he was recalled from the com- 
mand. This was not only a full vindication, but a 
compliment to him expressed in the broadest sense. 

He now addressed a letter to Secretary of War 
Joel R. Poinsett, asking the immediate direction 
of affairs in Florida, as this was a part of the geo- 
graphical division to which he had been assigned, 
and a large number of the troops of his command 
had been ordered there ; and that he was senior in 
rank to General Jesup, then commanding there. The 
members of Congress from his native State made a 
unanimous appeal to the Secretary of War seconding 
his application, but the application was denied. 

Some citizens of Florida made complaints of the 
nonsuccess of the army, and severely censured Gen- 
eral Scott. In fact, complaints of this nature were 
made against every officer who commanded in Flori- 
da, except General Zachary Taylor. It has been 
seen that the court of inquiry fully vindicated Gen- 
eral Scott's course in the management of the war in 
Florida. The campaign, however, vindicated itself. 



124 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Considering the scarcity of all the means at hand, it 
is remarkable how much was accomplished with so 
little loss of life. 

When General Scott undertook this campaign 
Florida was a terra incognita. The greater part of it 
had scarcely been visited by the whites, and very 
little was known of the settlements of the Seminoles. 
They were known by their approaches to the white 
settlements, and when the war broke out by their 
plunders and devastations. It was not known where 
their hiding places were, and this could only be de- 
termined by pursuing them. At the time of General 
Scott's assignment to the command all the informa- 
tion tended to locating them on the waters of the 
Ouithlacoochee and the St. John's Rivers ; and ac- 
cordingly against this portion of the country the 
movement of the army was directed. 

It was not only the want of ordnance, clothing, 
and subsistence, but the geographical peculiarity of 
Florida — with its marshes, thickets, hammocks, ever- 
glades, and impenetrable swamps — that made this 
campaign almost fruitless, and which for years baf- 
fled all efforts of the Government to subdue this 
small but brave and desperate tribe of Indians. 

In Congress General Scott's campaign in Florida 
was defended by some of the ablest men in the 
country. Richard Biddle, of Pennsylvania, in 1837, 
when the House of Representatives was engaged in 
a debate on appropriations for carrying on the war 
in Florida, said : " It would be recollected by all that 
after the war in Florida had assumed a formidable 
aspect Major-General Scott was called to the com- 
mand. An officer of his rank and standing was not 
likely to seek a service in which, amid infinite toil 



SPEECH OF MR. BIDDLE. 1 25 

and vexation, there would be no opportunity for the 
display of military talent on a scale at all commen- 
surate with that in which his past fame had been 
acquired. Yet he entered on it with the alacrity, 
zeal, and devotion to duty by which he had ever been 
distinguished. . . . 

" When the late General Brown, writing from the 
field of Chippewa, said that General Scott merited 
the highest praises which a grateful country could 
bestow, was there a single bosom throughout the 
wide republic that did not respond to the sentiment ? 
I, for one at least, can never forget the thrill of 
enthusiasm, boy as I then was, which mingled with 
my own devout thankfulness to God that the cloud 
which seemed to have settled on our arms was at 
length dispelled. On that plain it was established 
that Americans could be trained to meet and to beat 
in the open field, without breastworks, the regulars 
of Britain. . . . 

" Sir, the result of that day was due not merely to 
the gallantry of General Scott upon the field. It 
must in part be ascribed to the patient, anxious, and 
indefatigable drudgery, the consummate skill as a 
tactician, with which he labored night and day, at 
the camp near Buffalo, to prepare his brigade for the 
career on which it was about to enter. After a brief 
interval he again led that brigade to the glorious 
victory of Bridgewater. He bears now upon his 
body the wounds of that day. It had ever been the 
characteristic of this officer to seek the post of 
danger — not to have it thrust upon him. In the years 
preceding that to which I have specially referred — in 
1812 and 1813 — the eminent services he rendered 
were in the positions which properly belonged to 



126 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Others, but into which he was led by irrepressible 
ardor and jealousy of honor. 

" Since the peace with Great Britain the talents 
of General Scott have ever been at the command of 
his country. His pen and his sword have alike been 
put in requisition to meet the varied exigencies of 
the service. When the difficulties with the Western 
Indians swelled into importance, General Scott was 
dispatched to the scene of hostility. There rose up 
before him then, in the ravages of a frightful pesti- 
lence, a form of danger infinitely more appalling 
than the perils of the field. How he bore himself in 
this emergency, how faithfully he became the nurse 
and the physician of those from whom terror and 
loathing had driven all other aid, can not be forgot- 
ten by a just and grateful country. . . . 

" Mr. Chairman, I believe that a signal atonement 
to General Scott will one day be extorted from the 
justice of the House. We owe it to him ; but we owe 
it still more to the country. What officer can feel 
secure in the face of that great example of triumph- 
ant injustice? Who can place before himself the 
anticipation of establishing higher claims upon the 
gratitude of the country than General Scott ? Yet 
he was sacrificed. His past services went for nothing. 
Sir, you may raise new regiments and issue new 
commissions, but you can not without such atone- 
ment restore the high moral tone which befits the 
depositories of the national honor. I fondly wish 
that the highest and lowest in the country's service 
might be taught to regard this House as the jealous 
guardian of his rights, against caprice, or fanaticism, 
or outrage from whatever quarter. I would have 
him know that in running up the national flag at the 



GENERAL SCOTT DECLINES PUBLIC DINNER. 



27 



very moment our daily labors commence, we do not 
go through an idle form. On whatever distant serv- 
ice he may be sent — whether urging his way amid 
tumbling icebergs toward the pole, or fainting in the 
unwholesome heat of Florida — I would enable him as 
he looks up to that flag to gather hope and strength. 
It should impart to him a proud feeling of confi- 
dence and security. He should know that the same 
emblem of majesty and justice floats over the coun- 
cil of the nation, and that in its untarnished luster 
we have all a common interest and a common sym- 
pathy. Then, sir, and not before, will you have an 
army or a navy worthy to sustain and to perpetuate 
the glory of former days." 

Soon after the decision of the court of inquiry 
exonerating him from blame or censure General 
Scott was tendered a public dinner in New York 
from leading members of both political parties. He 
accepted the invitation, but it was subsequently 
postponed until about the middle of May, and before 
that time it was altogether declined, for reasons ex- 
pressed in a note of which a copy follows : 

" Gentlemen : Early last month I accepted the 
invitation to a public dinner which you and other 
friends did me the honor to tender me. In a few 
days the embarrassments of this great emporium be- 
came such that I begged the compliment might be 
indefinitely postponed. You, however, were so kind 
as to hold me to my engagement, and to appoint a 
day for the meeting, which is now near at hand. In 
the meantime the difficulties in the commercial world 
have gone on augmenting, and many of my friends, 
here and elsewhere, have been whelmed under the 



128 GENERAL SCOTT. 

general calamity of the times. Feeling deeply for 
the losses and anxieties of all, no public honor could 
now be enjoyed by me. I must therefore, under the 
circumstances, positively but niost respectfully with- 
draw my acceptance of your invitation. 

" I have the honor to remain, gentlemen, with the 
greatest esteem, your friend and servant, 

" WiNFiELD Scott." 

The subscribers to the dinner, on receipt of Gen- 
eral Scott's letter, called a meeting, Cornelius W. 
Lawrence in the chair, and unanimously adopted 
the resolutions which follow : 

''Resolved, That in the decision of General Scott 
to withdraw, for the reasons assigned, his acceptance 
of the public dinner designed to testify to him our 
high appreciation both of his private and public 
character, we find new evidence of his sympathy 
with all that regards the public welfare, and of his 
habitual oblivion of self where the feelings and in- 
terests of others are concerned. 

" Resolved, That we rejoice with the joy of friends 
in the result, so honorable to General Scott, of the 
recent court of inquiry instituted to investigate his 
military conduct as commander in chief in Alabama 
and Florida, and that the President of the United 
States (Mr. Van Buren), in approving its proceedings, 
acted in gratifying unison with the general senti- 
ments of the nation." 

General Scott also received invitations from 
Richmond, Va., and Elizabeth, N. J., both of which 
places had been his former homes. 

The Florida War was brought to a close by the 
defeat of the Indians by Colonel Zachary Taylor, in 



ORDERED TO REMOVE CHEROKEE INDIANS. 129 

the decisive battle of Okechobee, for which he re- 
ceived the brevet of Brigadier General, and in 1838 
was appointed to the chief command in Florida. 
Taylor was succeeded by Brigadier-General Armi- 
stead, and in 1842 General Worth succeeded to the 
command and made a treaty with Sam Jones and 
Billy Bowlegs, allowing them to remain and possess 
a large tract of land. 

In the spring of 1836 General Scott was ordered 
to take charge of and superintend the removal of 
the Cherokee Indians to the reservation which had 
been set apart for them by treaty west of the Mis- 
sissippi River. Great opposition to removal was ex- 
pected from the Indians, and much fear felt by the 
inhabitants contiguous to their settlements. General 
Scott, however, by his kindness and generosity, won 
the confidence of the Indians, and was not compelled 
to resort to any act of violence. Twenty-four thou- 
sand five hundred and ninety-four were removed, two 
hundred and thirty-six having lost their lives on the 
steamboat Monmouth. Only saven hundred and 
forty-four remained east of the Mississippi River. 
The Cherokees occupied territory in the States of 
Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. 
Many of their leaders were well educated and were 
men of ability, and some of them were wealthy, own- 
ing fine farms and negro slaves. General Scott 
in his Memoirs says : *' The North Carolinians and 
Tennesseeans were kindly disposed toward their red 
brethren. The Alabamians much less so. The great 
difficulty was with the Georgians (more than half the 
army), between whom and the Cherokees there had 
been feuds and wars for many generations. The re- 
ciprocal hatred of the two races was probably never 



30 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



surpassed. Almost every Georgian on leaving home, 
as well as after arrival at New Echota — the center 
of the most populous district of the Indian Territory 
— vowed never to return without having killed at 
least one Indian." 

General Scott arrived at the Cherokee agency, a 
small village on the Hiawassee River in Tennessee, 
in the early part of May, 1838. He published and 
circulated two addresses — one to the troops and the 
other to the Indians — but had them circulated to- 
gether. 

Following is the address to the troops: 

" Headquarters, Eastern Division, 

" Cherokee Agency, May 17, i8j8. 

" Considering the number and temper of the mass 
to be removed, together with the extent and fast- 
nesses of the country occupied, it will readily occur 
that simple indiscretions, acts of harshness, and cruel- 
ty on the part of our troops may lead, step by step, 
to delays, to impatience, and exasperation, and in the 
end to a general war and carnage — a result in the 
case of these particular Indians, utterly abhorrent to 
the generous sympathies of the whole American peo- 
ple. Every possible kindness compatible with the 
necessity of removal must therefore be shown by the 
troops ; and if in the ranks a despicable individual 
should be found capable of inflicting a wanton injury 
or insult on any Cherokee man, woman, or child, it is 
hereby made the special duty of the nearest good 
officer or man instantly to interpose, and to seize 
and consign the guilty wretch to the severest penalty 
of the laws. The major general is fully persuaded 
that this injunction will not be neglected by the 



ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS. 



131 



brave men under his command, who can not be other- 
wise than jealous of their own honor and that of their 
country. 

" By early and persevering acts of kindness and hu- 
manity, it is impossible to doubt that the Indians will 
soon be induced to confide in the army, and, instead 
of fleeing to the mountains and forests, flock to us 
for food and clothing. If, however, through false 
apprehensions, individuals or a party here and there 
should seek to hide themselves, they must be pur- 
sued and invited to surrender, but not fired upon, 
unless they should make a stand to resist. Even in 
such cases mild remedies may sometimes better suc- 
ceed than violence; and it can not be doubted, if we 
get possession of the women and children first, or 
first capture the men, that in either case the out- 
standing members of the same families will readily 
come in on the assurance of forgiveness and kind 
treatment. 

" Every captured man, as well as those who sur- 
render themselves, must be disarmed, with the assur- 
ance that their weapons will be carefully preserved 
and restored at or beyond the Mississippi. In either 
case the men will be guarded and escorted, except 
it may be where their women and children are safely 
secured as hostages ; but in general, families in our 
possession will not be separated, unless it be to send 
men as runners to invite others to come in. 

" It may happen that Indians will be found too 
sick, in the opinion of the nearest surgeon, to be re- 
moved to one of the depots indicated above. In 
every such case one or more of the family or the 
friends of the sick person will be left in attendance, 
with ample subsistence and remedies, and the re- 
10 



132 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



mainder of the family removed by the troops. 
Infants, superannuated persons, lunatics, and women 
in helpless condition, will all, in the removal, require 
peculiar attention, which the brave and humane will 
seek to adapt to the necessities of the several cases." 
Following is the address to the Indians : 

^'Major-General Scott, of the United States Army, sends 
to the Cherokee people reinaining in North Carolina, 
Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama this 

" ADDRESS. 

" Cherokees : The President of the United States 
has sent me with a powerful army to cause you, in 
obedience of the treaty of 1835, to join that part of 
your people who are already established in prosper- 
ity on the other side of the Mississippi. Unhappily, 
the two years which were allowed for the purpose 
you have suffered to pass away without following 
and without making any preparation to follow, and 
now, or by the time that this solemn address shall 
reach your distant settlements, the emigration must 
be commenced in haste, but, I hope, without disorder. 
I have no power by granting a further delay to correct 
the error that you have committed. The full moon 
of May is already on the wane, and before another 
shall have passed away every Cherokee man, woman, 
and child in those States must be in motion to join 
their brethren in the far West. 

" My friends, this is no sudden determination on 
the part of the President, whom you and I must now 
obey. By the treaty the emigration was to have 
been completed on or before the 23d of this month, 
and the President has constantly kept you warned 



ADDRESS TO THE CHEROKEE INDIANS. 



133 



during the two years allowed, through all his offi- 
cers and agents in this country, that the treaty 
would be enforced. 

" I am come to carry out that determination. 
My troops already occupy many positions in the 
country that you are to abandon, and thousands and 
thousands are approaching from every quarter to 
render assistance and escape alike hopeless. All 
those troops, regular and militia, are your friends. 
Receive them, and confide in them as such. Obey 
them when they tell you that you can remain no 
longer in this country. Soldiers are as kind-hearted 
as brave, and the desire of every one of us is to exe- 
cute our painful duty in mercy. We are commanded 
by the President to act toward you in that spirit, 
and such is also the wish of the whole people of 
America. 

" Chiefs, headmen, and warriors, will you then 
by resistance compel us to resort to arms ? God 
forbid! Or will you by flight seek to hide your- 
selves in mountains and forests, and thus oblige us 
to hunt you down ? Remember, that in pursuit it 
may be impossible to avoid conflicts. The blood of 
the white man or the blood of the red man may be 
spilt, and if spilt, however accidentally, it may be 
impossible for the discreet and humane among you 
or among us to prevent a general war and carnage. 
Think of this, my Cherokee brethren ! I am an old 
warrior, and have been present at many a scene of 
slaughter ; but spare me, I beseech you, the horror 
of witnessing the destruction of the Cherokees. 

" Do not, I invite you, even wait for the close ap- 
proach of the troops ; but make such preparations 
for emigration as you can, and hasten to this place, 



J 24 GENERAL SCOTT. 

to Ross's Landing, or to Gunter's Landing, where 
you will be received in kindness by officers selected 
for the purpose. You will find food for all, and 
clothing for the destitute, at either of those places, 
and thence at your ease and in comfort be trans- 
ported to your new homes according to the terms of 
the treaty. 

''This is the address of a warrior to warriors. 
May his entreaties be kindly received, and may the 
God of both prosper the Americans and Cherokees, 
and preserve them long in peace and friendship with 
each other. Winfield Scott." 

There was some delay in bringing in the moun- 
tain Indians of North Carolina, but the Indians of 
Tennessee and Alabama were readily collected for 
emigration. General Scott remained with the Geor- 
gians, and followed up his printed addresses by sug- 
gestions which proved to be invaluable. 

In a short time the Indians, excepting a few 
parties, were collected at the place of rendezvous. 
The camp selected was twelve miles in length, with 
a breadth of four miles. It was well shaded by large 
forest trees, and had a large number of springs 
furnishing an abundance of the best of water. 

The sick were placed in hospitals, and attended 
by good physicians and furnished with everything 
necessary for their comfort. General Scott rode 
through the camps daily, and saw that every atten- 
tion was given to the Indians which they required, 
and he made inquiries and gave special attention to 
the care of the sick and to the women and children. 
At length he placed the matter of the emigration of 
the Indians in the hands of the Cherokee authorities, 



THE CHEROKEE INDIANS MOVE WEST. 



135 



having won the entire confidence and regard of the 
Indians, and he ordered all of the volunteers to their 
homes, except one company which he retained as a 
poHce force, and one regiment of regulars which it 
was thought necessary to retain to meet any unfore- 
seen contingencies that might arise. Two other 
regular regiments were ordered off, one to Florida 
and the other to the Canada frontier. The com- 
pany of volunteers retained was from Tennessee, 
and of it General Scott said : " The company of vol- 
unteers (Tennesseeans) were a body of respectable 
citizens, and under their judicious commander, Cap- 
tain Robertson, of great value as a police force." 
The Cherokees were at this time receiving large 
sums of money from the Government in the way of 
damages and indemnities, and a number of gamblers 
and confidence men sought to enter their camps. 
They were, however, kept out by the vigilance of the 
Tennessee company. 

In October the movement west began. General 
Scott accompanied them to the junction of the Ohio 
and Mississippi Rivers. General Scott gives credit 
for services and aid rendered him to his acting in- 
spector general. Major Matthew Mountjoy Payne ; 
Captain Robert Anderson, acting adjutant general 
(later the commander of Fort Sumter, and a briga- 
dier general) ; Lieutenant Erastus Darwin Keyes, 
aid-de-camp, afterward major general, United States 
volunteers ; Lieutenant Francis Taylor, commis- 
sary ; Captains Page and Abner Reviere Hetzel, 
quartermasters ; Lieutenant Henry L. Scott, Fourth 
Infantry, then aid-de-camp and inspector general ; 
Major H. B. Shaw, aid-de-camp, Tennessee volun- 
teers ; Colonel William Lindsay, Second Artillery ; 



136 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Colonel William S. Foster, Fourth Infantry ; and 
Colonel Ichabod Bennett Crane, First Artillery. Gen- 
erals Worth and Floyd rendered important service in 
this campaign, and their names should not be omitted. 

It may be necessary, for a better understanding 
of the Cherokee Indian difficulties, to add something 
more to what has been written. The chief troubles 
which had arisen were in Georgia, and many compli- 
cations arose between the Indians and the whites. 
In a case decided by the Supreme Court of the 
United States, the opinion being rendered by Chief- 
Justice John Marshall, the status of these Indians 
was thus defined : " Their relation is that of a nation 
claiming and receiving the protection of one more 
powerful ; not that of individuals abandoning their 
national character and submitting as subjects to the 
laws of a master." 

Regarding the acts of Congress to regulate trade 
with the Indians the Chief Justice said: "All these 
acts, and especially that of 1802, which is still in 
force, manifestly consider the several Indian nations 
as distinct political communities, having territorial 
boundaries, within which their authority is exclusive, 
and having a right to all the lands within those 
boundaries, which is not only acknowledged but 
guaranteed by the United States." By one of the 
treaties made by the United States Government with 
this tribe of Indians, it was enacted and agreed that 
" the United States solemnly guarantee to the Chero- 
kee nation all their lands not hereby ceded," and, 
" that the Cherokee nation may be led to a greater 
degree of civilization, and to become herdsmen and 
cultivators, instead of remaining in a state of hunt- 
ing, the United States will from time to time furnish 



CAUSE OF THE TROUBLES IN GEORGIA. 137 

gratuitously the said nation with useful instruments 
of husbandry." Acting under this treaty, a greater 
portion of the Cherokees had become both cultiva- 
tors and herdsmen, and rivaled their white neighbors 
in both. 

The trouble which arose in Georgia was from the 
fact that she claimed the right to extend her crimi- 
nal jurisdiction over these Indians, and that the 
United States was bound to extinguish the Indian 
titles within her borders. This claim of Georgia, per- 
sistently pressed, caused the United States Govern- 
ment in 1802 to agree to purchase the Indian lands, 
and remove them to some other territory. The Indians 
resisted this action on the faith of treaties. Eventu- 
ally a treaty was made with a portion of the Chero- 
kees by which they were to relinquish their lands and 
accept lands across the Mississippi River. Many of 
the Indians resisted and never ratified this treaty, yet 
the Government insisted upon carrying out the treaty. 
General Scott received his orders on April 10, 1838, 
and first established his headquarters at a small vil- 
lage called Calhoun, on the Hiawassee River, in East 
Tennessee. Colonel Lindsay, an officer of merit and 
who enjoyed the full confidence of General Scott, 
was in immediate command of that territory, had 
established posts in many of the settlements, and had 
arranged to have the mountain passes well guarded. 

Referring to these matters, the National Intelli- 
gencer of September 27, 1838, said : '' The manner in 
which this gallant officer [Scott] has acquitted him- 
self within the last year upon the Canada frontier, 
and lately among the Cherokees, has excited the 
universal admiration and gratitude of the whole na- 
tion. Owing to his great popularity in the North, his 



138 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



thorough knowledge of the laws of his own country, 
as well as of those which govern nations, united to his 
discretion, his great tact and experience, he has saved 
the country from a ruinous war with Great Britain. 
And by his masterly skill and energy among the 
Cherokees, united to his noble generosity and hu- 
manity, he has not only effected what everybody sup- 
posed could not be done without the most heart- 
rending scenes of butchery and bloodshed, but he 
has effected it by obtaining the esteem and confidence 
of the poor Cherokees themselves. They look upon 
him as a benefactor and friend, and one who has 
saved them from entire destruction. All the Chero- 
kees were collected for emigration without bloodshed 
or violence, and all would have been on their way to 
the West before the middle of July, had not humanity 
induced General Scott to stop the movement until 
the ist of September. Three thousand had been 
sent off in the first half of June by the superintend- 
ent, before the general took upon himself the re- 
sponsibility of stopping the emigration, from feelings 
which must do everlasting honor to his heart. An 
approval of his course had been sent on by the War 
Department, before his report giving information 
that he had stopped the emigration had reached the 
seat of Government. In the early part of January 
last the President had asked Congress for enlarged 
powers, to enable him to maintain our neutral obli- 
gations to England — that is, to tranquilize the Cana- 
dian frontiers. Before the bill passed Congress, 
General Scott had finished the work and effected all 
its objects. These, too, he effected by flying from one 
end of the frontier to the other in the dead of win- 
ter, and during the severest and coldest period of 



THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER ON SCOTT. 139 

it. He returns to Washington, and is immediately or- 
dered to the Cherokee nation, to take charge of the 
very difficult and hazardous task to his own fame of 
removing those savages from their native land. Some 
of his best friends regretted most sincerely that he 
had been ordered on this service, and, knowing the 
disposition of the world to cavil and complain with- 
out cause, had great apprehension that he would lose 
a portion of the popularity he had acquired by his 
distinguished success on the Canadian frontier. But 
behold the manner in which this last work has been 
performed ! There is so much of noble generosity 
of character about Scott, independent of his skill and 
bravery as a soldier, that his life has really been one 
of romantic beauty and interest." 

It was General Scott's intention to accompany 
the Indian emigration farther west, but receiving in- 
formation that the Canadian insurgents were making 
renewed attempts on the Canadas, he was directed 
to proceed at once to that frontier. 

Passing through the States of Kentucky and Ohio, 
accompanied by Captain Robert Anderson, he called 
upon their respective governors and arranged for the 
calling out of volunteers should they be needed, and 
also gave proper instructions to the United States 
marshals and district attorneys for such duties as 
they might be called upon to perform. He passed 
on rapidly to Cleveland, Sandusky, and Detroit, and 
met great assemblages of excited citizens, and, by his 
appeals and reasoning with them, prevailed upon 
them to desist from any acts in violation of the neu- 
trality with Great Britain. Pending these important 
services, he learned of the trouble which had arisen 
between the State of Maine and the British colony or 



40 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



province of New Brunswick, and at once made haste 
for Washington. On his arrival at the capital, after 
reporting to the President, he was called before the 
committees on foreign affairs of both Houses of Con- 
gress, before whom he urged and succeeded in secur- 
ing the passage of two bills — one authorizing the 
President to call out the militia for six months and 
to accept the service of fifty thousand volunteers, 
and the other to place to his credit ten millions of 
dollars. On taking leave of the President he said to 
him : " Mr. President, if you want war, I need only 
look on in silence. The Maine people will make it 
for you fast and hot enough. I know them. But if 
peace be your wish, I can give no assurance of suc- 
cess. The difficulties in its way will be formidable." 
The President replied, " Peace with honor"; and the 
general, who fully reciprocated the President's feeling, 
took his leave, accompanied by Captain Robert An- 
derson and Lieutenant E. D. Keyes, his aid-de-camp. 
He left with general instructions, but in certain events 
he was to act on his own judgment without restric- 
tion. Arriving in Boston, he met Governor Edward 
Everett, and arranged for calling out the militia and 
accepting volunteers if needed. 

Governor Everett introduced him to his execu- 
tive council with the following address: " General, I 
take great pleasure in introducing you to the mem- 
bers of the Executive Council of Massachusetts. I 
need not say that you are already known to them by 
reputation. They are familiar with your fame as it is 
recorded in some of the arduous and honorable fields 
of the country's struggles. We rejoice in meeting you 
on this occasion. Charged as you are with a most 
momentous mission by the President of the United 



SPEECH OF GOVERNOR EVERETT. 141 

States, we are sure you are intrusted with a duty 
most grateful to your feelings — that of averting an 
appeal to arms. We place unlimited reliance on your 
spirit, energy, and discretion. Should you unhappily 
fail in your efforts, under the instructions of the 
President, to restore harmony, we know that you are 
equally prepared for a still more responsible duty. 
Should that unhappy event occur, I beg you to de- 
pend on the firm support of Massachusetts." He 
was then given a reception by the Legislature, and 
received on its behalf by Robert C. Winthrop. 

From Boston he proceeded at once to Portland, 
where he found the people greatly excited, and de- 
manding the immediate seizure and occupation of 
the disputed territory. At the capital, Augusta, 
where he next proceeded, he found the same excite- 
ment with the same demands. The Legislature was 
in session, and a large majority of its members were 
for war. The strip of disputed land was valuable 
chiefly for ship timber. Some British subjects had 
entered the territory and cut some of the timber, 
and the Governor of Maine sent an agent with a 
posse to drive them off. The British seized and im- 
prisoned the agent, and much angry correspondence 
followed between the authorities of both sides. 

General Scott soon determined that the only 
mode of settlement was to prohibit or have an agree- 
ment on both sides to leave the territory unoccupied 
by either party until the matters in dispute could be 
arranged between the governments of the United 
States and Great Britain, taking the matter out of 
the jurisdiction of the State of Maine and the prov- 
ince of New Brunswick. Previous to Scott's arrival 
in Maine the Legislature of that State had passed an 



14- 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



act placing eight hundred thousand dollars at the 
disposal of the Governor and authorizing the calling 
out of eight thousand troops. Some of these troops 
had been organized and moved near the disputed 
territory, and others were held ready to move when 
ordered. British troops, both regulars and militia, 
had also been moved forward. Everything indicated 
a war. On February 27, 1839, President Van Buren 
had sent a message to Congress transmitting various 
documents received from the Governor of Maine, and 
a copy of a memorandum signed by the Secretary 
of State of the United States and the British Minis- 
ter to the United States, which, it was hoped, would 
prevent a collision of arms. Mr. H. B. Fox, the British 
Minister, had acted without specific authority from 
his Government, and the memorandum therefore 
had only the force of a recommendation. All cor- 
respondence had for some time ceased between the 
governors of Maine and New Brunswick. 

The Governor of New Brunswick, John Harvey, 
had been an adjutant general of one of the armies 
of Canada in the campaign of 1813, and was well 
known to General Scott. Scott, it will be remem- 
bered, was an adjutant general in this campaign, and 
he and Colonel Harvey had frequent correspond- 
ence, and it was so conducted as to create a feeling 
of respect on both sides. At one time in the cam- 
paign mentioned, when Scott was on a reconnoitering 
expedition, his party came upon Harvey, and a gun 
in the hands of a soldier near Scott was leveled on 
him. Scott caught the gun, and said, " Hold ! he is 
our prisoner," but Colonel Harvey made a rapid 
turn and escaped. 

On General Scott's arrival in Maine he had with 



NORTHEASTERN BOUNDARY. 



43 



him a private letter from Sir John Harvey, the Colo- 
nel Harvey just mentioned, then Governor General 
of New Brunswick. It is proper to mention here, as 
additional reason for good feeling between General 
Scott and Sir John Harvey, that at one time in the 
War of 1813 an American soldier under Scott's com- 
mand had come into possession of the uniform coat 
of a British staff officer, and in one of the pockets 
was found the miniature of a young lady. The port- 
manteau from which the coat and miniature were 
taken was marked "Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey." 
Scott purchased these articles from the soldier and 
sent them to Colonel Harvey. The picture was that 
of his young bride, then in England. 

Governor Fairfield, of Maine, had on March 12th 
sent a message to the Legislature objecting to the 
terms of the memorandum, but recommending that, 
when fully satisfied that the Lieutenant Governor of 
New Brunswick had abandoned all idea of occupy- 
ing the disputed territory with a military force, oi* 
of attempting the expulsion of citizens of Maine, he 
[the Governor] be authorized to withdraw the mili- 
tary force, leaving the land agent with a posse of 
armed or unarmed men, as the case might require, 
sufficient to drive out or arrest trespassers. The 
Legislature on March 20th passed resolutions in ac- 
cordance with these recommendations. The message 
of the Governor of Maine and the resolutions of the 
Legislature required the lieutentant governor to 
make the advance. 

General Scott, after the action of the Legislature 
above mentioned, sent a reply to Harvey's private 
letter, which he had held unanswered so long. This 
elicited a friendly reply, and other letters of the 



144 GENERAL SCOTT. 

same character quickly followed on either side. A 
line of couriers was established between them to 
facilitate correspondence. Governor Harvey took 
the first step, and made the concessions which were 
necessary to appease the authorities of Maine, but 
the Governor did not feel authorized to withdraw the 
troops from the disputed territory unless authorized 
by the Legislature. General Scott mingled freely 
with members of the Legislature, urging pacific meas- 
ures, and on March 20th resolutions were passed ; 
and Scott having his memorandum with Sir John 
Harvey with all concessions to restore tranquillity, 
the Governor of Maine added his approval, and the 
question was transferred to the authorities of the 
United States and Great Britain, which resulted in a 
satisfactory settlement to both nations of this un- 
happy affair. 

An uprising, confined chiefly to the French inhab- 
itants of Upper Canada, occurred in 1837, in which 
they demanded a separation from the British Gov- 
ernment, and they enlisted many sympathizers among 
citizens of the United States, especially among those 
living on the Canadian boundary. Organizations 
of sympathizers with the Canadians were secretly 
formed by American citizens to such an extent that 
the President of the United States issued a procla- 
mation enjoining its citizens to observe neutrality. 
This did not quiet the excitement, but rather tended 
to increase it. Matters were brought to a crisis by 
the action of a certain Van Rensselaer, wiio had been 
dismissed from the Military Academy at West Point, 
and who styled himself " Colonel " Van Rensselaer. 
He organized a party of Americans reckless like 
himself, and took forcible possession of a small Brit- 



THE AFFAIR OF THE CAROLINE. 



145 



ish island opposite to Fort Schlosser, on the Ameri- 
can side, and known as Navy Island. This island 
was a short distance above the falls of Niagara. 
Young Van Rensselaer engaged a small steamboat 
called the Caroline to ferry parties from Navy Island, 
which he occupied, to Schlosser on the American 
shore. 

The first night on which the Caroline began her 
voyages the British fitted out an expedition to cap- 
ture her. Instead of making a descent on Navy 
Island within British territory, they boarded the 
steamer at Schlosser, on the American side, and 
thus violated our territory. The boat at the time of 
this invasion was filled with people, many of whom 
were there for idle curiosity, including a number of 
boys. In the melee of capture one American citi- 
zen was killed and several others wounded. They 
cut the boat from its moorings, set it on fire, and 
it drifted down the cataract. It was reported and 
generally believed that when the vessel went over the 
cataract it had a small number of wounded Ameri- 
cans on board. 

The publication of this affair created the greatest 
excitement from one end of the country to the other. 
This occurred on December 29, 1837, but the news 
did not reach Washington until January 4th. On 
the evening of that day General Scott was to dine 
with President Van Buren and a number of other 
distinguished gentlemen. The entire party had ar- 
rived, but the President failed to appear. After a 
time he came in and spoke inaudibly to Henry Clay, 
one of the guests, and then said to General Scott : 
"Blood has been shed; you must go with all speed 
to the Niagara frontier. The Secretary of War is 



146 GENERAL SCOTT. 

now engaged in making out your instructions." 
General Scott left at once, and passing through 
Albany, met William L. Marcy, the Governor of New 
York, who with his adjutant general (McDonald) 
accompanied him to the scene of the troubles. The 
United States troops at this time were all either in 
Florida or on the Western frontiers. General Scott, 
in passing through New York, had ordered some 
small detachments of army recruits to follow him. 
Governor Marcy was with him ready to answer his 
requisitions for militia, and he had the aid of the 
officers commanding on Lake Erie and the Detroit 
frontier and on the Niagara, Lake Ontario, and St. 
Lawrence. All United States marshals and other 
civil officers of the Government were ordered to sup- 
port and aid him. He passed from one place to 
another, going where his services could be needed, 
exhorting the people to observe the neutrality proc- 
lamation of the President ; and where he found 
them obstinate and determined, he notified them in 
terms which could not be mistaken that any attempt 
to violate this proclamation would be met by resist- 
ance from the Government, which would promptly 
overpower them. 

Pending these troubles, a steamer called the Bar- 
celona was taken from the harbor of Buffalo in Janu- 
ary, 1838, and passed down the river, with a view to 
aid the insurgents on Navy Island. Scott, on learn- 
ing of this, sent an agent who made terms to employ 
the Barcelona for the service of the Government. 
The vessel then proceeded back to Buffalo, where it 
was intended to use her on Lake Erie ; but the Cana- 
dian authorities had determined to destroy her. As 
the vessel passed near Grand Island, within the ju- 



I 



GENERAL SCOTT TO BRITISH OFFICER. 



147 



risdiction of the United States, some armed British 
schooners had taken position, aided by land bat- 
teries, to open fire on her. This was on January 
i6th. General Scott and Governor Marcy stood on 
the river bank watching events. Batteries on the 
American side were put in preparation to return the 
fire of the British. 

The day before the event just mentioned, Scott 
had written and dispatched a note " To the Com- 
manding Officer of the Armed British Vessels in the 
Niagara " : 

" Headquarters, Eastern Division, U. S. Army, 

" Two Miles below Black Rock, January ij, i8j8. 

" Sir : With his Excellency, Governor Marcy, of 
New York, who has troops at hand, we are here to 
enforce the neutrality of the United States and to 
protect our own soil or waters from violation. The 
proper civil officers are also present to arrest, if 
practicable, the leaders of the expedition on foot 
against Upper Canada. Under these circumstances, 
it gives me pain to perceive the armed vessels men- 
tioned, anchored in our waters, with the probable in- 
tention to fire upon that expedition moving in the 
same waters. Unless the expedition should first at- 
tack — in which case we shall interfere — we shall be 
obliged to consider a discharge of shot or shell from 
or into our waters, from the armed schooners of her 
Majesty, as an act seriously compromising the neu- 
trality of the two nations. I hope, therefore, that 
no such unpleasant incident may occur. 

" I have the honor to remain, etc. 

''WiNFiELD Scott." 



148 GENERAL SCOTT. 

The next morning, January i6th, the same infor- 
mation was given by General Scott to a British 
officer who called on him at his quarters. The Bar- 
celona moved up the river, and Scott had his cannon 
pointed and his matches in readiness for firing. Scott 
stood on the highest point in full uniform and in 
view of the other shore. The vessel passed up un- 
molested, and doubtless by this act of Scott a war 
was averted. 

In the meantime Van Rensselaer with his adherents 
had evacuated Navy Island and landed some miles 
below, where they were arrested by General Scott's 
orders. Thus ended a disturbance which might have 
resulted in war, and it can not be gainsaid that its 
peaceful settlement was due to the wisdom, firmness, 
and prudence of General Scott. 



I 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Annexation of Texas — Causes that led to annexation — Message 
of the President — General Scott's letters regarding William 
Henry Harrison — Efforts to reduce General Scott's pay — Let- 
ter to T. P. Atkinson on the slavery question — Battle of Palo 
Alto, and of Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, and Buena Vista — 
" The hasty plate of soup " — Scott's opinion of General Tay- 
lor — Scott ordered to Mexico — Proposal to revive the grade 
of lieutenant general, and to appoint Thomas H. Benton — 
Scott reaches the Brazos Santiago — Confidential dispatch 
from Scott to Taylor — Co-operation of the navy — Letters to 
the Secretary of War as to places of rendezvous — Arrival and 
landing at Vera Cruz, and its investment, siege, and capture — 
Letter to foreign consuls — Terms of surrender — Orders of 
General Scott after the surrender. 

The Congress of the United States, on Febru- 
ary 27, 1845, passed joint resolutions providing for 
the annexation of Texas, and they were approved by 
President Tyler on the ist of March. A convention 
was called by President Jones, of Texas, to meet on 
the 4th of the succeeding July, to consider the mat- 
ter of annexation to the United States. The con- 
vention ratified the proposal, and prepared a consti- 
tution for Texas as a State in the American Union. 
The question of annexation was submitted to a vote 
of the people of Texas and ratified by a large ma- 
jority. On December 29th following, a joint resolu- 
tion of the Congress of the United States was passed, 



150 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



which declared Texas admitted as a State into the 
Union. 

It may be interesting to take a retrospective view 
of the causes, or rather the means, by which this im- 
portant measure was brought about. 

In the winter of i842-'43 there appeared in a 
newspaper published at Baltimore a letter of Mr. 
Thomas W. Gilmer, a member of Congress from Vir- 
ginia, urging the annexation of Texas. He argued 
among other things that the British Government had 
designs on Texas; that it proposed a political and 
military domination of the country, with a view to 
the abolition of slavery. At this time Texas and 
Mexico were at war. It was at once charged by the 
opponents of the scheme of annexation that Mr. Gil- 
mer, who was known as the close political friend of 
Mr. John C. Calhoun, was simply acting as the mouth- 
piece of the latter. It will be remembered by those 
who are conversant with the proceedings of Congress 
that Mr. Calhoun, in the Senate in 1836, had offered 
some resolutions looking to the annexation of Texas. 
Mr. Webster, who was known as opposed to the meas- 
ure, was the only member of President Harrison's 
Cabinet who remained with President Tyler. He re- 
signed his portfolio as Secretary of State, and was 
succeeded by Mr. Hugh S. Legare, of South Carolina, 
who, dying very soon after his appointment, was suc- 
ceeded by Mr. Abel P. Upshur, of Virginia. Both of 
the latter named were known friends of the annexa- 
tion scheme. There appeared not long after the 
publication of the Gilmer letter, in the Richmond 
Enquirer, a letter from General Andrew Jackson to 
Mr. Brown, in reply to a letter of Mr. Brown, in 
which he indorsed a copy of Mr. Gilmer's letter and 



THE ANNEXATION OF TEXAS. 



15 



asking General Jackson's views on the subject. Gen- 
eral Jackson's reply was a thorough and hearty ap- 
proval of the proposed immediate annexation of 
Texas. General Jackson's letter was dated from the 
Hermitage, his residence near Nashville, Tenn., March 
12, 1843. The letter of General Jackson produced a 
profound effect throughout the country. Although 
out of office, old, and in the retirement of private 
life, he exercised more influence than any man living 
in the United States. 

Mr. Calhoun succeeded Mr. Upshur as Secretary 
of State, and he was known as a friend of annexa- 
tion. Mr. Van Buren, replying to a letter from Mr. 
William T. Hammett, a representative in Congress 
from Mississippi, announced his opposition to the im- 
mediate annexation of Texas, because it would pro- 
duce a war with Mexico. He expressed himself in 
favor of the measure when it could be done peace- 
ably and honorably. Mr. Clay announced his oppo- 
sition to the measure. In December, 1843, the Brit- 
ish Premier, Lord Aberdeen, in a dispatch to Sir 
Richard Packenham, British Minister at Washington, 
denied that Great Britain had any design on Texas, 
but announced (which was superfluous, and not ger- 
mane to the charge which he felt called upon to 
deny) that " Great Britain desires and is constantly 
exerting herself to procure the general abolition of 
slavery thoughout the world." This provoked a cor- 
respondence between Mr. Calhoun and the British 
Minister. In his annual message to Congress at the 
commencement of the session of i843-'44 the Presi-. 
dent expressed himself very strongly in regard to war 
being waged by Mexico against Texas. The proposed 
treaty for annexation was rejected by the Senate 



152 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



June 8, 1844, by a vote of thirty-five to sixteen. Mr. 
Benton presented a plan for the peaceful acquisition 
of Texas, but the Senate refused to adopt it. 

President Tyler in his last message again referred 
to the war between Mexico and Texas, and said : " I 
repeat now what I then said, that after eight years 
of feeble and ineffectual efforts to recover Texas, it 
was time that the war should have ceased." 

When the convention of the Whig party met at 
Harrisburg, Pa., December 4, 1839, to nominate a 
candidate for the presidency, General Scott's name 
was presented. He had addressed a number of let- 
ters to members of the convention urging that, if 
there appeared any prospect of success, Mr. Clay 
should be selected, and if not, that the choice should 
fall on General William Henry Harrison. The total 
number of votes in the convention was two hundred 
and fifty-four. Of these, General Scott received the 
votes of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ver- 
mont, and Michigan — in all, sixty-two. The States 
which had voted for General Scott gave their votes 
eventually to General Harrison, who received the 
nomination. General Scott said of General Harrison, 
"But the nomination and success of General Harri- 
son," if his life had been spared some four years 
longer, would have been no detriment to the country. 
With excellent intentions and objects, and the good 
sense to appoint able counselors, the country would 
not have been retarded in its prosperity nor dis- 
graced by corruption in high places. No one can, of 
course, be held responsible for sudden deaths among 
men. A single month in office ended President Har- 
rison's life, when the plaint of Burke occurred to all, 
" What shadows we are, what shadows we pursue ! " 



SCOTT GENERAL IN CHIEF OF THE ARMY. 153 

In June, 1841, Major-General Macomb having died, 
General Scott was called to take up his residence in 
Washington as general in chief of the army. Among 
his first orders was one which put a stop to arbitrary 
and illegal punishments in the army. 

An effort was made in the House of Representa- 
tives of the next Congress in 1844 to reduce his pay, 
but being resisted by Charles J. Ingersoll, of Philadel- 
phia, and ex-President John Quincy Adams, it was 
voted down by a large majority. Mr. Adams, in the 
course of his remarks in opposition to the resolution, 
said that he *' felt bound to declare that he did think 
it a very ill reward for the great and eminent serv- 
ices of General Scott during a period of thirty odd 
years, in which there were some as gallant exploits 
as our history could show, and in which he had not 
spared to shed his blood, as well as for more recent 
services of great importance in time of peace — serv- 
ices of great difficulty and great delicacy — now to 
turn him adrift at his advanced age. . . . That he 
could not for a moment harbor in his heart the 
thought that General Scott, if he had received from 
the Government thousands of dollars more than he 
had, would have received one dollar which he did 
not richly deserve at the hands of his country." 

On February 9, 1843, he wrote from Washington 
to T. P. Atkinson, of Danville, Va., in reply to a 
letter from that gentleman, asking his opinions on 
the question of slavery. Mr. Atkinson was the son 
of an old friend of General Scott, and the letter was 
written to him as a probable candidate for the presi- 
dency. He took the position in this letter that Con- 
gress had no power under the Constitution to inter- 
fere with or legislate on the question of slavery 



154 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



within the States. He argued that it was the duty 
of Congress, however, to receive, refer, and report 
upon petitions which might be presented to it on the 
question of slavery, as on all other questions. He 
did not blame masters for not liberating their slaves, 
as he thought it would benefit neither the masters 
nor the slaves. He, however, held it to be the duty of 
slave owners to employ all means not incompatible 
with the safety of both master and slave to me- 
liorate slavery even to extermination. He held that, 
with the consent of owners or payment of just com- 
pensation, Congress might legislate in the District of 
Columbia, although it would be dangerous to con- 
tiguous States. 

He also, in March, 1845, in reply to a letter from 
J. C. Beckwith, corresponding secretary of a peace 
convention, wrote that he always maintained the 
moral right to wage a just and necessary war. 

In March, 1845, as stated, Congress passed a 
joint resolution for the annexation of the republic 
of Texas, and in July of that year Brigadier-General 
Zachary Taylor, then commanding the first depart- 
ment of the United States army in the Southwest, 
was ordered to Texas. He embarked at New Orleans 
with fifteen hundred troops, and in August established 
his camp at Corpus Christi. Re-enforcements were 
dispatched to him rapidly, and in November his com- 
mand amounted to about four thousand men. 

On March 8, 1846, General Taylor, under orders 
from Washington, moved his army toward the Rio 
Grande, and on the 28th of that month encamped on 
that river opposite the Mexican city of Matamoros. 
He here erected a fort called Fort Brown, which 
commanded the city of Matamoros. The Mexican 



PALO ALTO. 



155 



troops near Matamoros were at the same time busily 
engaged in fortifying the city. General Pedro de 
Ampudia, who commanded the Mexican forces at 
Matamoros, on April 12, 1846, addressed General 
Taylor a note requiring that within twenty-four hours 
he should retire from his position at Fort Brown and 
march beyond the Neuces, stating that the govern- 
ments of Mexico and the United States were en- 
gaged in negotiations regarding the annexation of 
Texas, and that a failure or refusal of General Tay- 
lor to comply with this demand would be regarded 
by his Government as a declaration of war on the 
part of the United States. General Taylor replied 
in substance that he was there with his army under 
orders of his Government, that he declined to retire 
beyond the Neuces, and that he stood ready to repel 
any attack which might be made upon him. Soon 
after this correspondence General Mariano Arista 
was placed in the command formerly held by General 
Ampudia, and in May, with an army of six thousand 
men, he crossed the Rio Grande and attacked Gen- 
eral Taylor at Palo Alto, and was signally defeated. 
General Arista retreated on the next day to Resaca 
de la Palma, where he was again defeated and his 
army routed, and he retired across the Rio Grande. 
General Taylor was now promoted to the rank of 
major general, and on May i8th took possession of 
Matamoros without opposition. 

On September 9th he arrived at Monterey with 
about six thousand seven hundred men, chiefly vol- 
unteers. General Ampudia held the command here 
with ten thousand regular Mexican troops. General 
Taylor assaulted his position on September 19th, 
and after five days of almost continual fighting Gen- 



156 GENERAL SCOTT. 

eral Ampudia surrendered. General Taylor then 
transferred his headquarters to Monterey, but guard- 
ed the city of Saltillo with a strong force. He was 
about making an advance on San Luis Potosi, when 
a large portion of his force was ordered to join Gen- 
eral Scott at Vera Cruz. 

Concentrating his forces, some five thousand in 
number, he learned that General Antonio Lopez de 
Santa Anna was concentrating a force of twenty 
thousand men at San Luis Potosi, with a view to at- 
tack him. On February 21, 1847, he took position 
at a mountain pass called Buena Vista, a few miles 
from Saltillo, where, being attacked the next day by 
the Mexican army under General Santa Anna, he de- 
feated them, and Santa Anna retreated to San Luis 
Potosi. This brief statement of the magnificent and 
almost unprecedented campaign of General Taylor is 
necessary to understand the part taken by General 
Scott in the war with Mexico. 

General Scott was notified early in May, 1846, 
that he might be ordered to assume the command on 
the Mexican frontier. He expressed his disinclination 
to this duty, because it was, as he expressed it, " harsh 
and unusual for a senior, without re-enforcements, to 
supersede a meritorious junior, and that he doubted 
whether that was the right season, or the Rio Grande 
the right basis, for offensive operations against Mexi- 
co," and suggested a plan to conquer a peace, which 
he afterward planned and executed. Political rea- 
sons to some extent delayed action in sending Gen- 
eral Scott to Mexico, and his views on the proper 
campaign in Mexico were not approved by President 
Polk. General Scott thought that unless his plan 
met the full approval and support of the Govern- 



THE HASTY PLATE OF SOUP. 



157 



ment, it might result disastrously, and expressed the 
sentiment, which became afterward a byword, that 
" soldiers had a far greater dread of a fire upon 
the rear than of the most formidable enemy in the 
front." The President declined to order him to the 
command. 

Pendmg these affairs, the Secretary of War one 
day called at General Scott's office and found that 
he was absent. General Scott, on returning, learn- 
ing that the secretary had called, wrote him a note 
in explanation of his absence, saying that " he had 
only stepped out for the moment to take a hasty 
plate of soup." This was also made a byword, and 
was used with a view to injure General Scott, or 
rather to ridicule him by his political opponents 
when he was a candidate of the Whig party for 
President in 1852. The successes of General Taylor 
had endeared him to the whole country, and his 
praises were in every one's mouth. Congress passed 
a resolution of thanks, with a promise to present him 
with a sword in recognition of his services. General 
Scott wrote to the Kentucky senators, to Hon. Jef- 
ferson Davis, and others in Congress, suggesting that 
instead of a sword the higher honor of a gold medal 
should be voted him, and this suggestion was adopt- 
ed. General Scott made an indorsement on the 
resolution of Congress voting this medal, recom- 
mending that it be made in the highest style of art. 
About this time he was called upon by some Whig 
members of Congress to inquire if General Taylor 
was a Whig, and if he would not be a proper person 
for the Whigs to nominate as their candidate for the 
presidency. 

General Scott spoke of him to these inquirers as 



158 GENERAL SCOTT. 

a man who had the true basis of a great character — 
pure, uncorrupted morals combined with indomitable 
courage. Kind-hearted, sincere, and hospitable in a 
plain way, he had no vice but prejudice, many friends, 
and no enemies. He also related an anecdote show- 
ing General Taylor's unscrupulous honesty and high 
sense of honor. 

General Scott made repeated requests during the 
summer and autumn of 1846 to be ordered to Mexico. 
On November 23d he received the following order: 

" War Department, Washington, November 2j, 1846. 

" Sir : The President several days since commu- 
nicated in person to you his orders to repair to Mexi- 
co to take command of the forces there assembled, 
and particularly to organize and set on foot an ex- 
pedition to operate on the Gulf coast, if, on arriving 
at the theater of action, you shall deem it to be 
practicable. It is not proposed to control your 
operations by definite and positive instructions, but 
you are left to prosecute them as your judgment, 
under a full view of all the circumstances, shall dic- 
tate. The work is before you, and the means pro- 
vided or to be provided for accomplishing it are 
committed to you, in the full confidence that you 
will use them to the best advantage. 

"The objects which it is desirable to obtain have 
been indicated, and it is hoped that you will have 
the requisite force to accomplish them. Of this you 
must be the judge when preparations are made and 
the time for action arrived. Very respectfully, 
" Your obedient servant, 

"W. L. Marcy, Secretary of War. 

" General Winfield Scott." 



BENTON AS LIEUTENANT GENERAL. 159 

General Scott was impressed with the belief that 
Mr. Marcy, the Secretary of War, and Hon. Robert 
J.Walker, of Mississippi, the Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, had the fullest confidence in his ability, and 
favored giving him the substantial direction of the 
war. He was also impressed with the kindness and 
confidence extended to him by President Polk, but 
on his arrival in New Orleans he was shown a let- 
ter from Alexander Barrow, then a Senator in Con- 
gress from Louisiana and a personal friend of Gen- 
eral Scott, informing him that the President had 
asked that the grade of lieutenant general be estab- 
lished in the army, and that on the passage of such 
an act by Congress it was the intention of the Presi- 
dent to confer this rank, and consequently the com- 
mand of the army, upon Thomas H. Benton, then 
a Senator from Missouri. This was a great shock to 
General Scott, and he attributed it to political mo- 
tives. He reasoned this way: "Scott is a Whig; 
therefore the Democracy is not bound to observe 
good faith with him. His successes may be turned 
to the prejudice of the Democratic party. We must, 
however, profit by his military experience, and if 
successful, by force of patronage and other helps, 
continue to crown Benton with the victory, and thus 
triumph both in the field and at the polls." 

He reached the Brazos Santiago, near the mouth 
of the Rio Grande, in Christmas week, and proceeded 
from there to Camargo, where he expected to meet 
General Taylor, but, by some mismanagement or de- 
lay, his notification to General Taylor did not reach 
the latter. 

A confidential dispatch from General Scott to- 
General Taylor was opened, read, and freely dis- 



l6o GENERAL SCOTT. 

cussed at headquarters at Monterey. A duplicate 
was sent forward, but the party in charge of it was 
killed at Villa Gran and the dispatch delivered to 
General Santa Anna. Taylor had made a move- 
ment toward Tampico, and hence did not receive the 
first dispatch delivered at Tampico. In the later 
dispatch General Scott had written him that he 
might have his choice of two armies — either remain 
as the commander of Northern Mexico, or accompany 
General Scott in command of a division toward the 
City of Mexico, with every assurance in either case 
of confidence and support. 

General Scott anticipated the difficulty of timely 
concentration of forces off the Brazos large enough 
to give hope of success. He thought it necessary to 
have fifteen thousand troops, of which five thousand 
were to be regulars, and to have the co-operation of 
the navy. The time named for the concentration was 
the middle of January, so that the army might reach 
Vera Cruz by February ist. He had requested the 
advice of General Taylor on these matters and all 
others in regard to the proposed campaign. He had 
intimated, in a letter of November 15th, that it would 
be necessary to withdraw a large number of troops 
from General Taylor, and thus reduce him to the 
defensive, while he thought it absolutely necessary 
for success that General Taylor should have a force 
sufficient to act offensively in the direction of San 
Luis Potosi. In addition to the volunteers and reg- 
ulars at Tampico and those moving there, he de- 
sired that Worth's division of regulars, Duncan and 
Taylor's field batteries, a thousand mounted men, 
and all the volunteer infantry that could be spared 
be sent to General Taylor, only retaining a force 



MOVEMENT FROM NEW ORLEANS. i6l 

sufficient to hold Monterey and protect his commu- 
nications to Point Isabel. From New Orleans Gen- 
eral Scott had written the Secretary of War that he 
approved of the rendezvous at Pensacola rather than 
at Brazos for the ordnance and ordnance stores. 
He also urged that volunteers be forwarded rapidly 
to Brazos. Subsequently he wrote the Secretary of 
War asking that ships with troops and supplies be 
ordered to Lobos Island. He addressed a letter to 
General George M. Brooke, commanding at New 
Orleans, giving detailed orders of what he required 
of him. He also wrote to Commodore Conner, and 
made suggestions about joint operations. 

Failing to meet General Taylor, as he hoped and 
endeavored to do, with a view of a full and free con- 
ference, he felt compelled to issue orders detaching 
from the army of the Rio Grande such regular troops 
as were deemed necessary to lead the volunteers for 
the capture of Vera Cruz and the move on the capi- 
tal, leaving General Taylor with a force sufficient to 
maintain himself at Monterey. He intended, had he 
seen General Taylor, to advise him to contract his 
line to the Rio Grande. General Taylor, supported 
by the authorities in Washington, favored the move- 
ment on the City of Mexico from Monterey and via 
San Luis Potosi, but General Scott had already for- 
mulated and determined on the movement which he 
made with such brilliant success. Orders were ac- 
cordingly issued from Camargo, January 3, 1847, for 
the movement of troops from Monterey, and Gen- 
eral Scott returned to Brazos Santiago. The em- 
barkation for Vera Cruz was delayed by the non- 
arrival of the troops from Monterey and want of 
transportation. The Lobos Islands was selected as 



1 52 GENERAL SCOTT. 

the place of rendezvous. This point is one hundred 
and twenty miles from Vera Cruz. When the greater 
part of the troops had arrived, they sailed past Vera 
Cruz and anchored, on March 7th, at Anton Lizardo, 
from which point it was determined to make the 
necessary reconnoissances. 

General Scott was at this time ignorant of the 
movement of General Santa Anna toward Monterey, 
and expected, on landing or attempting to land, to 
be met by a formidable force of the enemy. On 
March 9th, the weather proving good, the fleet, con- 
sisting of some eighty vessels, including transports, 
moved up the coast with the naval steamers and 
five gunboats. General Scott was on board of the 
Massachusetts, and as she moved up, the troops 
from the decks of the vessels cheered him with great 
enthusiasm. The anchorage was made outside the 
range of the enemy's guns. General Scott had pro- 
vided sixty-seven surf boats, and in these and some 
cutters fifty-five hundred men — the boats being 
steered by sailors furnished by Commodore David 
Conner — passed the Massachusetts and repeated their 
cheers to the commanding general. The whole force 
was landed at half past five in the afternoon, with- 
out the loss of a man or a boat and without serious 
opposition from the enemy. The remainder of the 
force was soon landed, amounting in all to some- 
thing less than twelve thousand men. 

The following appeared in the New Orleans Bul- 
letin of March 27, 1847 : ^' The landing of the Ameri- 
can army at Vera Cruz has been accomplished in a 
manner that reflects the highest credit on all con- 
cerned ; and the regularity, precision, and prompt- 
ness with which it was effected has probably never 



THE NEW ORLEANS BULLETIN ARTICLE. 163 

been surpassed, if it has been equaled, in modern 
warfare. The removal of a large body of troops from 
numerous transports into boats in an open sea, their 
subsequent disembarkation on the sea beach, on an 
enemy's coast, through a surf, with all their arms and 
accouterments, without a single error or accident, re- 
quires great exertion, skill, and sound judgment. 

*' The French expedition against Algiers in 1830 
was said to be the most complete armament in every 
respect that ever left Europe ; it had been prepared 
with labor, attention, experience, and nothing had 
been omitted to insure success, and particularly in 
the means and facilities for landing the troops. This 
disembarkation took place in a wide bay, which was 
more favorable than an open beach directly on the 
ocean, and (as in the present instance) without any 
resistance on the part of the enemy; yet only nine 
thousand men were landed the first day, and from 
thirty to forty lives were lost by accidents or up- 
setting of boats; whereas on the present occasion 
twelve thousand men were landed in one day, with- 
out, so far as we have heard, the slightest accident 
or loss of life." 

Both the city and the castle of San Juan de Ulloa 
were strongly garrisoned and well provisioned. It 
was General Santa Anna's opinion that the garrison 
at Vera Cruz and the castle could successfully resist 
a siege until the annual breaking out of the yellow 
fever, upon which he depended to cause the with- 
drawal of the American troops; hence he devoted 
himself to the collection of troops to advance on 
General Taylor. General Scott says : " The walls 
and forts of Vera Cruz in 1847 were in good condi- 
tion. Subsequent to its capture by the French, under 



164 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Admiral Baudin and the Prince de Joinville, in 1838, 
the castle had been greatly extended, almost rebuilt, 
and its armament about doubled. Besides, the French 
were allowed to reconnoiter the city and castle and 
choose their positions of attack without the least re- 
sistance, the Mexicans deprecating the war with that 
nation, and hence ordered not to fire the first gun. 
Of that injunction the French were aware. When we 
approached, in 1847, the castle had the capacity to 
sink the entire American navy." Soon after the 
landing was effected, General Scott, accompanied by 
Colonel Joseph G. Totten and other officers of his 
staff, reconnoitered the land side of the city, the re- 
connoissance of the water front having been pre- 
viously made. 

The city was now completely invested, and all 
communication with the interior cut off. A complete 
blockade had been established by Commodore Con- 
ner. Several officers applied to General Scott for the 
privilege of leading storming parties. They were 
thanked, but no orders were given. In a meeting 
with his staff — Colonel Totten, chief engineer ; Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Ethan A. Hitchcock, acting inspector 
general ; Captain Robert E. Lee, engineer ; and Lieu- 
tenant Henry L. Scott, acting adjutant general — 
General Scott spoke as follows : " We, of course, 
gentlemen, must take the city and castle before 
the return of the vomito — if not by head-work, by the 
slow, scientific process of storming, and then escape 
by pushing the conquest into the healthy interior. I 
am strongly inclined to attempt the former, unless you 
can convince me that the other is preferable. Since 
our thorough reconnoissance, I think the suggestion 
practicable with a very moderate loss on our part. 



SCOTT'S IDEA OF CAPTURE OF VERA CRUZ. 165 

The second method would no doubt be equally suc- 
cessful, but with the cost of an immense slaughter to 
both sides, including noncombatants, Mexican men, 
women, and children, because assaults must be made 
in the dark, and the assailants dare not lose time in 
taking and guarding prisoners without incurring the 
certainty of becoming captives themselves, till all the 
strongholds of the place are occupied. The horrors 
of such slaughter as that, with the usual terrible ac- 
companiment, are most revolting. Besides these ob- 
jections, it is necessary to take into account the prob- 
able loss of some two thousand, perhaps three thou- 
sand, of our best men in an assault, and I have re- 
ceived but half the number promised me. How, then, 
could we hope to penetrate in the interior ? . . . For 
these reasons," I added, quoting literally, "although 
I know our countrymen will hardly acknowledge a 
victory unaccompanied by a long butcher's bill (re- 
port of dead and wounded), I am strongly inclined 
— policy concurring with humanity — to forego their 
loud applause and ' aves vehement ' and take the city 
with the least possible loss of life. . . ." 

General Scott's views were fully concurred in by 
Colonel Totten and others of his staff, and orders 
were issued for digging the trenches and the establish- 
ment of batteries. Very soon all outposts and sen- 
tries of the enemy were driven in. General Scott had 
warned the foreign consuls in the city of his pro- 
posed attack and had furnished them safe conducts 
out of the city, but they had not taken advantage of 
it. The marines of Commodore Conner's squadron, 
at his request, were now allowed to join the army, 
and, under command of Captain Alvin Edson, they 
were attached to the Third Artillery. 



l66 GENERAL SCOTT. 

On the morning of the loth the guns from the 
castle opened fire, but did very little damage. Gen- 
eral Robert Patterson now joined Worth on his left, 
and extended the line of investment. Small parties 
of Mexicans were in sight in a valley, and a detach- 
ment under command of Colonel Cenovio approached 
the American camp and opened fire. The only dam- 
age done was the wounding of one soldier. General 
Gideon J. Pillow, with a part of his command and a 
six-pounder, opened fire on a large stone building 
occupied by the enemy and known as the magazine. 
They were soon driven off, and General Pillow ad- 
vanced and attacked a small force in his front, driv- 
ing them and occupying the magazine. 

Colonels William T. Haskell's and Francis M. 
Wynkoop's regiments of Tennessee and Pennsylvania 
volunteers were moved on a small force on the road 
to Medelin, which retired, and two companies— one of 
artillery under command of Captain John R. Vinton, 
and one of infantry under command of Lieutenant 
A. P. Rogers — seized a point known as the limekiln, 
where it was proposed to plant a battery. General 
Twiggs moved on the nth to extend the line of in- 
vestment, which was now complete. General Scott 
then addressed a letter to the commanding officer of 
the city as follows : 

" Headquarters of the Army of the United States of 
America, Camp Washington, before Vera Cruz, 

''March 22, 1847. 

" The undersigned, Major-General Scott, general 
in chief of the armies of the United States of Amer- 
ica, in addition to the close blockade of the coast 
and port of Vera Cruz previously established by the 



DEMAND FOR SURRENDER. 167 

squadrons under Commodore Conner, of the navy of 
said States, having more fully invested the said city 
with an overwhelming army, so as to render it im- 
possible that it should receive from without succor 
or re-enforcements of any kind, and having caused 
to be established batteries competent to the speedy 
destruction of said city, he, the undersigned, deems 
it due to the courtesies of war in like cases, as well 
as to the rights of humanity, to summon his Excel- 
lency the governor or commander in chief of the 
city of Vera Cruz to surrender the same to the 
army of the United States of America, present be- 
fore the place. The undersigned, anxious to spare 
the beautiful city of Vera Cruz from the imminent 
hazard of demolition, its gallant defenders from a 
useless effusion of blood, and its peaceful inhabit- 
ants — women and children inclusive — from the inevi- 
table horrors of a triumphant assault, addresses this 
summons to the intelligence, the gallantry, the patri- 
otism, no less than the humanity, of his Excellency 
the governor and commander in chief of Vera Cruz. 
The undersigned is not accurately informed whether 
both the city and the castle of San Juan de Ulloa be 
under the command of his Excellency, or whether 
each place has its own independent commander; 
but the undersigned, moved by the considerations 
adverted to above, may be willing to stipulate that 
if the city should by capitulation be garrisoned by a 
part of his troops no missile shall be fired from within 
the city or from its bastions or walls upon the castle, 
unless the castle should previously fire upon the 
city. The undersigned has the honor to tender his 
distinguished opponent, his Excellency the general 
and commander in chief of Vera Cruz, the assurance 



1 68 GENERAL SCOTT. 

of the high respect and consideration of the under- 
signed, WiNFiELD Scott." 

To which he received the following reply : 

*' God and Liberty ! " 

"Vera Cruz, March 22, 1847. 
''To Major-General Scott: The undersigned, 
commanding general of the free and sovereign State 
of Vera Cruz, has informed himself of the contents 
of the note which Major-General Scott, general in 
chief of the forces of the United States, has ad- 
dressed to him under date of to-day, demanding the 
surrender of this place and castle of San Juan de 
UUoa, and in answer has to say that the above- 
named fortress as well as the city depends on his 
authority ; and it being his principal duty, in order 
to prove worthy of the confidence placed in him by 
the Government of the nation, to defend both points 
at all cost, to which he counts upon necessary ele- 
ments, and will make it good to the last, therefore 
his Excellency can commence his operations of war 
in a manner which he may consider most advanta- 
geous. The undersigned has the honor to return 
to the general in chief of the forces of the United 
States the demonstrations of esteem he may be 
pleased to honor him with. Juan Morales." 

The city was garrisoned by a force of three thou- 
sand three hundred and sixty officers and men, and 
the castle had a force of one thousand and thirty, 
making a total of four thousand three hundred and 
ninety. It was certainly a brave determination of 
the Mexicans with this force to resist the formidable 
foe who had invested them and were ready to attack. 



LETTER FROM CONSULS. 



169 



On March 22d, at 4.15 p. \i., the mortar batteries 
opened fire, and from that time the firing was con- 
tinued without ceasing until the 23d, when it was 
suspended for a few hours. The fire was returned 
from the batteries. Fire was also opened on the 
city from the vessels. Heavy guns having arrived, 
preparations were made for getting them ashore, but 
it was prevented by a heavy norther. The norther 
having subsided on the 23d, six heavy guns and a 
detachment from the navy were landed. On Com- 
modore Matthew C. Perry's request a place in the 
trenches was assigned to the navy. On the 24th, 
Colonel Persifor F. Smith moved out to a small 
stream called the San Pedro and attacked and drove 
off a force of the enemy. 

On the night of the 24th General Scott received 
a communication, signed by the British, French, Span- 
ish, and Prussian consuls in Vera Cruz, asking time 
to permit the neutrals and women and children to 
withdraw from the city ; to which he replied that up 
to the 23d the communication between the neutrals 
in Vera Cruz and the neutral ships of war lying off 
Sacrificios was left open to allow them an exit, and 
that he had given notice to the consuls. He there- 
fore declined to grant the request unless it was made 
by the governor and commander in chief of Vera 
Cruz, accompanied with a proposition to surrender. 
On the 25th, the six heavy guns, the navy battery, 
and all the mortars opened fire. General Scott had 
determined that, if no proposition for surrender was 
made by the 26th, he would assault the works. 

The command of the city having been turned over 
by General Morales to General Landero, the latter, 
on the 26th, addressed General Scott as follows: 



I70 GENERAL SCOTT. 

" I have the honor of transmitting to your Ex- 
cellency the exposition which has this moment been 
made to me by the seiiores consuls of England, 
France, Spain, and Prussia, in which they solicit 
that hostilities may be suspended while the inno- 
cent families in this place who are suffering the 
ravages of war be enabled to leave the city, which 
solicitude claims my support ; and considering it in 
accordance with the rights of afflicted humanity, I 
have not hesitated to invite your Excellency to enter 
into an honorable accommodation with the garrison, 
in which case you will please name three commis- 
sioners who may meet at some intermediate point to 
treat with those of this place upon the terms of the 
accommodation. With this motive I renew to your 
Excellency my attentive consideration. 

" God reward your Excellency, etc., etc., etc. (on 
account of the sickness of the commanding general). 
" Jose Juan de Landero. 

General Scott notified General Landero that he 
had appointed Brevet Major-General Worth, of the 
regular army, Major-General Pillow, of the volun- 
teers, and Colonel Totten, chief of the engineer 
corps of the army, commissioners on his part to meet 
a like number to be appointed by General Landero. 
The latter announced the appointment on his part 
of Colonels Herrera, Gutierrez de Villa Nueva, and 
Lieutenant-Colonel Robles. The commissioners met 
at the Punta de Hornos, and on the 27th agreed 
upon terms. 

The terms of capitulation were in substance that 
the Mexican troops should march out of the city 
with the honors of war, should stack their arms and 



TERMS OF SURRENDER. 



171 



be paroled ; that their colors, when lowered, should 
be saluted. Absolute protection was guaranteed to 
persons and property in the city. No private build- 
ing was to be taken or used by the United States 
forces without previous arrangement and fair com- 
pensation. A Mexican historian says : " The sacrifice 
was consummated, but the soldiers of Vera Cruz re- 
ceived the honor due to their valor and misfortunes 
— the respect of the conqueror. Not even a look 
was given them by the enemy's soldiers which could 
be interpreted into an insult." Five thousand pris- 
oners and four hundred guns were captured, and 
with a loss of only sixty-seven killed and wounded. 

There is scarcely anything in history equal to 
this achievement of General Scott. Throughout the 
siege he shared all the dangers and hardships of his 
troops. He examined in person, aided by his very 
able staff officers, every detail of works of defense, 
and gave orders for the firing of the batteries. 

One day during the siege General Scott was walk- 
ing the trenches where a heavy fire of the enemy 
was directed. Seeing some of the soldiers standing 
up, General Scott ordered them not to expose them- 
selves. " But, General," said one, '* you are exposing 
yourself." " Oh ! " said he, " generals nowadays can 
be made out of anybody, but men can not be had." 
The point of this reply is easy to understand. Gen- 
eral Worth was appointed commandant and governor 
of Vera Cruz, with instructions to establish and en- 
force police regulations, but not to interfere with 
the functions of the civil magistrates in affairs be- 
tween Mexicans. 

He was authorized and instructed, after conferring 
with Commodore Perry, to establish a tariff of duties 



172 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



on articles imported, to be applied to the necessities 
of the sick and wounded of the army and navy and 
indigent inhabitants of the city of Vera Cruz ; this 
to continue in force until instructions were received 
from Washington. General Worth, on assuming 
command, immediately issued an order to the al- 
calde as follows : 

*' Arms in possession of citizens to be given into 
the alcalde's possession and to be reported to head- 
quarters. Drinking saloons to be closed, and not to be 
reopened hereafter except under special permission. 
Mexican laws as between Mexicans to be enforced, 
and justice administered by regular Mexican tribu- 
nals. Cases arising between American citizens of 
the army, or authorized followers of the same, will 
be investigated by military commissions." 

To cover all cases arising by the military occupa- 
tion of the country, General Scott had issued at Tam- 
pico his Martial-Law Order No. 40, and republished 
it at Vera Cruz. General Worth gave permission to 
the residents of the city to leave and enter the city 
freely between daylight and sunset. No duties were 
imposed on any of the necessaries of life. 

On March 30th a combined military and naval ex- 
pedition was organized to move to Alvarado, Com- 
modore Perry in command of the naval contingent. 
The army detachment, under General John A. Quit- 
man, consisted of the Georgia, Alabama, and South 
Carolina infantry, and a squadron of the Second 
Dragoons under command of Major Benjamin Tloyd 
Beall, and a section of the Third Artillery under 
Lieutenant Henry Bethel Judd. 

The object of this expedition was to conciliate 
the inhabitants, and for the purchase of horses, mules. 



ADVANCE TO JALAPA. 173 

and cattle. Commodore Perry landed there on the 
ist of April, followed by the arrival of General Quit- 
man very soon afterward. Many citizens fled on the 
approach of the troops, and the town was surrendered 
to the American forces. Twenty-two cannon and 
some ammunition were captured, and five hundred 
horses secured by purchase. The troops returned to 
Vera Cruz, April 6th. A similar expedition for like 
purposes was undertaken by General Harvey, April 
2d, for Antigua. A lieutenant and eight soldiers 
were captured, and some horses and cattle purchased. 
On April 3d, Brevet Colonel Henry Wilson, with the 
First United States Infantry and two companies of 
volunteers, was assigned to the command of Vera 
Cruz and the castle of San Juan de Ulloa. 

Orders were now issued for an advance of the 
army on Jalapa, General David E. Twiggs, with the 
Second Division of regulars, to lead the movement 
on the 8th, two brigades of volunteers to follow. On 
the 9th Patterson's division moved, but, for want of 
transportation, Quitman's brigade, Colonel James H. 
Thomas, Tennessee mounted regiment. Worth's di- 
vision, and the siege train were left at Vera Cruz. 
General Twiggs was notified by General Scott that 
he had information that General Santa Anna had ar- 
rived at Jalapa with six thousand troops, though he 
[General Scott] regarded the numbers as exagger- 
ated. General Twiggs, on receipt of General Scott's 
notice, replied that the Mexicans would doubtless 
endeavor to hold the pass of Cerro Gordo between 
the National Bridge and Jalapa. Through Mexican 
sources he had information rating Santa Anna's force 
at from two thousand to thirteen thousand, and that 
he expected to arrive on the evening of the nth at 



1^4 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Plan del Rio, the point where the Mexican advance 
was posted. 

General Scott had received information that Gen- 
erals Patterson and Twiggs had met a strong force of 
the enemy at Plan del Rio. Worth's division was 
ordered forward, and Quitman directed to follow in 
twenty-four hours. General Scott himself now moved 
out under a cavalry escort. 



CHAPTER IX. 

General Santa Anna arrives at Cerro Gordo — Engagement at Ata- 
laya — General Orders No. iir — Reports from Jalapa — Report 
of engagement at Cerro Gordo — Occupation of Perote— Ac- 
count of a Mexican historian — General Santa Anna's letter to 
General Arroya — Delay of the Government in sending re-en- 
forcements — Danger of communications with Vera Cruz- 
Troops intended for Scott ordered to General Taylor — Colo- 
nel Childs appointed governor of Jalapa — Occupation of Pu- 
ebla — Arrival of re-enforcements — Number of Scott's force. 

General Santa Anna had arrived at Cerro Gor- 
do on April 9th. General Scott, on his arrival, or- 
dered (on the morning of the nth) reconnoissances 
to be made on the Mexican left by Captain Robert 
E. Lee, which were resumed on the i6th. These re- 
connoissances determined the order of attack, which 
was to make a demonstration with the commands of 
Generals Pillow and Shields on the Mexican right, 
and press the mass of the army on their right. This 
movement being successful, the enemy's communica- 
tions would be cut off. In the meantime the Mexi- 
cans were busily engaged in greatly strengthening 
their positions. 

General Scott had not intended to attack the ene- 
my in the absence of Worth's division, which had not 
yet arrived. A movement of Lieutenant Franklin 
Gardner, re-enforced later by the mounted rifles under 
Major Edwin Vose Sumner and a battalion of the 



1^6 GENERAL SCOTT. 

First Artillery under Lieutenant-Colonel Childs, to 
occupy a position near the base of the Atalaya, pro- 
voked a sharp conflict. General Santa Anna, being 
at the front, ordered re-enforcements. Colonel 
Thomas Childs withdrew, having advanced under a 
misapprehension. The American loss was ninety- 
seven, killed and wounded. General Scott returned 
to Plan del Rio and issued the following order: 

*' Headquarters of the Army, 

" Plan del Rio, April //, 184'j. 
"General Orders No. hi. 

" The enemy's whole line of intrenchments and 
batteries will be attacked in front, and at the same 
time turned, early in the day to-morrow, probably be- 
fore ten o'clock a. m. The second (Twiggs's) division 
of regulars is already advanced within easy turning 
distance toward the enemy's line. That division has 
instructions to move forward before daylight to- 
morrow and take up position across the national 
road, in the enemy's rear, so as to cut off a retreat 
toward Jalapa. It may be re-enforced to-day, if 
unexpectedly attacked in force, by regiments — one 
or two — taken from Shields's brigade of volunteers. 
If not, the two volunteer regiments will march for 
that purpose at daylight to-morrow morning under 
Brigadier-General Shields, who will report to Briga- 
dier-General Twiggs in getting up with him, or to 
the general in chief if he be in advance. The re- 
maining regiments of that volunteer brigade will 
receive instructions in the course of this day. The 
first division of regulars (Worth's) will follow the 
movement against the enemy's left at sunrise to- 
morrow morning. As already arranged, Brigadier- 
General Pillow's brigade will march at six o'clock 



GENERAL ORDERS NO. III. 177 

to-morrow morning along the route he has carefully 
reconnoitered, and stand ready, as soon as he hears 
the report of arms on our right, or sooner, if cir- 
cumstances should favor him, to pierce the enemy's 
line of batteries at such point — the nearer the river 
the better — as he may select. Once in the rear of 
that line, he will turn to the right or left, or both, and 
attack the batteries in reverse ; or, if abandoned, he 
will pursue the enemy with vigor until further or- 
ders. Wall's field battery and cavalry will be held 
in reserve on the national road, a little out of view 
and range of the enemy's batteries. They will take 
up that position at nine o'clock in the morning. 
The enemy's batteries being carried or abandoned, 
all our divisions and corps will pursue with vigor. 
This pursuit may be continued many miles toward 
Jalapa until stopped by darkness or fortified posi- 
tions ; consequently the body of the army will not 
return to this encampment, but be followed to-mor- 
row afternoon, or early the next morning, by the 
baggage trains of the several corps. For this pur- 
pose the feeble men of each corps will be left to 
guard its camp and effects, and to load up the latter 
in the wagons of the corps. A commander of the 
present encampment will be designated in the course 
of this day. 

" As soon as it shall be known that the enemy's 
works have been carried, or that the general pursuit 
has been commenced, one wagon for each regiment 
and battery and one for the cavalry will follow the 
movement, to receive, under the direction of medi- 
cal officers, the wounded and disabled, who will be 
brought back to this place for treatment in general 
hospital. The surgeon general will organize this 



1^8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

important service, and designate that hospital, as 
well as the medical officers to be left at it. 

" Every man who marches out to attack or pur- 
sue the enemy will take the usual allowance of am- 
munition and subsistence for at least two days. 

" By command of Major-General Scott. 

" H. L. Scott, Acting Adjutant General.'' 

The engineer train and troops under Lieutenant 
George Brinton McClellan having arrived, addi- 
tional batteries were placed in position. General 
Santa Anna, believing that the Americans would 
attack his right, made his dispositions accordingly. 
Following are General Scott's reports of the battle 
made to the Secretary of War : 

" Headquarters of the Army, Plan del Rio, 

" Fifty Miles from Vera Cruz, April ig, 1847. 

"■ Sir : The plan of the attack, sketched in Gen- 
eral Orders No. in herewith, was finely executed 
by this gallant army before two o'clock p.m. yester- 
day. We are quite embarrassed with the results of 
victory — prisoners of war, heavy ordnance, field bat- 
teries, small arms, and accouterments. About three 
thousand men laid down their arms, with the usual 
proportion of field and company officers, besides five 
generals, several of them of great distinction — Pin- 
son Jarrero, La Vega, Noryuga, and Obando. A 
sixth general, Vasque, was killed in defending the 
battery (tower) in the rear of the line of defense, 
the capture of which gave us those glorious results. 

" Our loss, though comparatively small in num- 
ber, has been serious. Brigadier-General Shields, a 
commander of activity, zeal, and talent, is, I fear, if 
not dead, mortally wounded. He is some five miles 



CERRO GORDO. I^n 

from me at this moment. The field of operations 
covers many miles, broken by mountains and deep 
chasms, and I have not a report as yet from any 
division or brigade. Twiggs's division, followed by 
Shields's (now Colonel Baker's) brigade, are now 
near Jalapa, and Worth's division is en route thither, 
all pursuing with good results, as I learn, that part 
of the Mexican army — perhaps six or seven thousand 
men — that fled before our right had carried the tower, 
and gained the Jalapa road. Pillow's brigade alone 
IS near me at this depot of wounded, sick, and pris- 
oners, and I have time only to give from him the 
names of First-Lieutenant F. B. Nelson and Second- 
Lieutenant C. G. Gill, both of the Second Tennessee 
Foot (Haskell's regiment), among the killed, and m 
the brigade one hundred and six of all ranks killed 
or wounded. Among the latter the gallant briga- 
dier general himself has a smart wound in his arm, 
but not disabled ; and Major R. Farqueson, Second 
Tennessee, H. F. Murray, second lieutenant, G. T. 
Southerland, first lieutenant, W. P. Hale, adjutant, 
all of the same regiment, severely, and First-Lieu- 
tenant W. Yearwood mortally wounded. And I 
know, from personal observation on the ground, that 
First-Lieutenant Ewell, of the Rifles, if not now dead, 
was mortally wounded in entering, sword in hand, the 
intrenchments around the captured tower. Second- 
Lieutenant Derby, Topographical Engineers, I saw 
also at the same place, severely wounded, and Cap- 
tain Patten, Second United States Infantry, lost his 
right hand. Major Sumner, Second United States 
Dragoons, was slightly wounded the day before, and 
Captain Johnson, Typographical Engineers (now 
lieutenant colonel of infantry), was very severely 
13 



l8o GENERAL SCOTT. 

wounded in reconnoitering some days earlier. I 
must not omit to add that Captain Mason and 
Second-Lieutenant Davis, both of the Rifles, were 
among the very severely wounded in storming the 
same tower. I estimate our total loss in killed and 
wounded may be about two hundred and fifty, and 
that of the enemy three hundred and fifty. In the 
pursuit toward Jalapa (twenty-five miles hence) I 
learn we have added much to the enemy's loss in 
prisoners, killed, and wounded. In fact, I suppose 
this retreating army to be nearly disorganized, and 
hence my haste to follow in an hour or two to profit 
by events. In this hurried and imperfect report 
I must not omit to say that Brigadier-General 
Twiggs, in passing the mountain range beyond Cerro 
Gordo crowned with the tower, detached from his 
division, as I suggested the day before, a strong 
force to carry that height which commanded the 
Jalapa road at the foot, and could not fail, if carried, 
to cut off the whole or any part of the enemy's forces 
from a retreat in any direction. A portion of the 
First Artillery under the often-distinguished Brevet- 
Colonel Childs, the Third Infantry under Captain 
Alexander, the Seventh Infantry under Lieutenant- 
Colonel Plympton, and the Rifles under Major Lor- 
ing, all under the temporary command of Colonel 
Harvey, Second Dragoons, during the confinement 
to his bed of Brevet Brigadier-General P. F. Smith, 
composed that detachment. The style of execu- 
tion, which I had the pleasure to witness, was most 
brilliant and decisive. The brigade ascended the 
long and difficult slope of Cerro Gordo, without 
shelter and under the tremendous fire of artillery and 
musketry, with the utmost steadiness, reached the 



1 

J 



CERRO GORDO. l8r 

breastworks, drove the enemy from them, planted 
the colors of the First Artillery, Third and Seventh 
Infantry, the enemy's flag still flying, and after some 
minutes of sharp firing finished the conquest with 
the bayonet. It is a most pleasing duty to say that 
the highest praise is due to Harvey, Childs, Plymp- 
ton, Loring, Alexander, their gallant officers and 
men, for this brilliant service, independent of the 
great results which soon followed. 

^' Worth's division of regulars coming up at this 
time, he detached Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. 
Smith with his light battalion to support the assault, 
but not in time. The general, reaching the tower a 
few minutes before me and observing a white flag 
displayed from the nearest portion of the enemy's 
lines toward the batteries below, sent out Colonels 
Harvey and Childs to hold a parley. The surrender 
followed in an hour or two. 

" Major-General Patterson left a sick-bed to share 
in the dangers and fatigues of the day, and after the 
surrender went forward to command the advanced 
forces toward Jalapa. Brigadier-General Pillow and 
his brigade twice assaulted with great daring the 
enemy's lines of batteries on our left ; and, though 
without success, they contributed much to distract 
and dismay their immediate opponents. 

" President Santa Anna, with Generals Canalizo 
and Ampudia, and some six or eight thousand men, 
escaped toward Jalapa just before Cerro Gordo was 
carried and before Twiggs's division could reach the 
national road above. I have determined to parole 
the prisoners — officers and men — as I have not the 
means of feeding them here beyond to-day, and can 
not afford to detach a heavy body of horse and foot, 



1 82 GENERAL SCOTT. 

with wagons, to accompany them to Vera Cruz. Our 
baggage train, though increasing, is not yet half 
large enough to give an assured progress to this 
army. Besides, a greater number of prisoners would 
probably escape from the escort in the long and 
deep sandy road, with subsistence, ten to one, than 
we shall find again out of the same body of men in 
ranks opposed to us. Not one of the Vera Cruz 
prisoners is believed to have been in the lines at 
Cerro Gordo. Some six of the officers highest in 
rank refused to give their paroles, except to go to 
Vera Cruz, and hence, perhaps, to the United States. 

" The small arms and their accouterments being 
of no value to our army here or at home, I have 
ordered them to be destroyed, for we have not the 
means of transporting them. I am also somewhat 
embarrassed with the many pieces of artillery — all 
bronze — which we have captured. It would take a 
brigade and half the mules of this army to transport 
them fifty miles. A field battery I shall take for 
service for the army, but the heavy metal must be 
collected and left here for the present. We have our 
own siege train and the proper carriages with us. 

" Being occupied with the prisoners and all the 
details of a forward movement, besides looking to 
the supplies which are to follow from Vera Cruz, I 
have time to add no more, intending to be at Jalapa 
early to-morrow. We shall not probably meet with 
serious opposition this side of Perote, certainly not 
unless delayed by the want of the means of trans- 
portation. 

" I have the honor to remain, sir, with high re- 
spect, your most obedient servant, 

" WiNFiELD Scott. 



CERRO GORDO. 



183 



" P. S. — I invite attention to the accompanymg 
letters to President Santa Anna, taken in his car- 
riage yesterday ; also to his proclamation issued on 
hearing that we had captured Vera Cruz, etc., in 
which he says : ' If the enemy advance one step 
more, the national independence will be buried in 
the abyss of the past.' We have taken that step. 

"W. S. 

'' I make a second postscript, to say that there is 
some hope, I am happy to learn, that General Shields 
may survive his wounds. One of the principal mo- 
tives for paroling the prisoners of war is to diminish 
the resistance of other garrisons in our march. 

" Headquarters of the Army, Jalapa, April 2j, 1847. 
*' Sir : In forwarding the reports of commanders 
which detail the operations of their several corps 
against the Mexican lines at Cerro Gordo, I shall 
present, in continuation of my former report, but an 
outline of the affair ; and while adopting heartily 
their commendations of the ardor and efficiency of 
individuals, I shall mention by name only those who 
figure prominently, or, from position, could not be in- 
cluded in those subreports. The field sketch here- 
with mdicates the position of the two armies. The 
tierra caliente^ or low level, terminates at Plan del 
Rio, the site of the American camp, from which the 
road ascends immediately in a long circle among the 
lofty hills, whose commanding points had all been 
fortified and garrisoned by the enemy. His right, 
intrenched, rested on a precipice overhanging an im- 
passable ravine that forms the bed of the stream ; 
and his intrenchments extended continuously to the 
road, in which was placed a formidable battery. On 



1 84 GENERAL SCOTT. 

the other side the lofty and difficult heights of Cerro 
Gordo commanded the approaches in all directions. 
The main body of the Mexican army was encamped 
on level ground, with a battery of five pieces, half a 
mile in rear of that height toward Jalapa. Resolv- 
ing, if possible, to turn the enemy's left and attack in 
rear while menacing or engaging his front, I caused 
daily reconnoissances to be pushed, with the view of 
finding a route for a force to debouch on the Jalapa 
road and cut off retreat. The reconnoissance, begun 
by Lieutenant Beauregard, was continued by Captain 
Lee, engineers, and a road made along difficult slopes 
and over chasms out of the enemy's view; though 
reached by his fire when discovered, until, arriving 
at the Mexican lines, further reconnoissance became 
impossible without action. The desired point of de- 
bouchure, the Jalapa road, was not therefore reached, 
though believed to be within easy distance ; and to 
gain that point it now became necessary to carry 
the heights of Cerro Gordo. The disposition in my 
plan of battle — General Orders No. in, heretofore 
inclosed — were accordingly made. Twiggs's divi- 
sion, re-enforced by Shields's brigade of volunteers, 
was thrown into position on the 17th, and was of 
necessity drawn into action in taking up the ground 
for its bivouac, and the opposing height for our 
heavy battery. It will be seen that many of our 
officers and men were killed or wounded in this 
sharp combat, handsomely commenced by a com- 
pany of the Seventh Lifantry under Brevet First- 
Lieutenant Gardner, who is highly praised by all his 
commanders for signal services. Colonel Harvey, 
coming up with the Rifle Regiment and First Artil- 
lery (also parts of his brigade), brushed away the ene- 



CERRO GORDO. 



185 



my and occupied the height, on which, in the night, 
was placed a battery of one twenty-four pounder and 
two twenty-four-pound howitzers, under the supervis- 
ion of Captain Lee, engineers, and Lieutenant Hagner, 
ordnance. These guns opened next morning, and 
were served with effect by Captain Steptoe and Lieu- 
tenant Brown, Third Artillery, Lieutenant Hagner 
(ordnance), and Lieutenant Seymore, First Artillery. 
The same night, with extreme toil and difficulty, un- 
der the superintendence of Lieutenant Tower, engi- 
neer, and Lieutenant Laidley, ordnance, an eight-inch 
howitzer was put in position across the river and op- 
posite to the enemy's right battery. A detachment 
of four companies under Major Burnham, New York, 
volunteers, performed this creditable service, which 
enabled Lieutenant Ripley, Second Artillery, in charge 
of the piece, to open a timely fire in that quarter. 

" Early on the i8th the columns moved to the 
general attack, and our success was speedy and de- 
cisive. Pillow's brigade assaulting the right of the 
intrenchments, although compelled to retire, had the 
effect I have heretofore stated. Twiggs's division, 
storming the strong and vital point of Cerro Gordo, 
pierced the center, gained command of all the in- 
trenchments, and cut them off from support. As our 
infantry (Colonel Riley's brigade) pushed on against 
the main body of the enemy, the guns of their own 
fort were rapidly turned to play on that force (under 
the immediate command of General Santa Anna), 
who fled in confusion. Shields's brigade, bravely as- 
saulting the left, carried the rear battery (five guns) 
on the Jalapa road and aided materially in complet- 
ing the rout of the enemy. The part taken by the 
remainder of our forces held in reserve to support 



l86 GENERAL SCOTT. 

and pursue has already been noticed. The moment 
the fate of the day was decided, the cavalry and 
Taylor's and Wall's field batteries were pushed on 
toward Jalapa in advance of the pursuing columns 
of infantry. Twiggs's division and the brigade of 
Shields (now under Colonel Baker) and Major-Gen- 
eral Patterson were sent to take command of them. 
In the hot pursuit many Mexicans were captured or 
slain before our men and horses were exhausted by 
the heat and distance. 

" The rout proved to have been complete, the re- 
treating army, except a small body of cavalry, being 
dispersed and utterly disorganized. The immediate 
consequences have been our possession of this im- 
portant city, the abandonment of the works and ar- 
tillery at La Hoya, the next formidable pass between 
Vera Cruz and the capital, and the prompt occupa- 
tion by Worth's division of the fortress of Perote 
(second only to San Juan de UUoa), with its exten- 
sive armament of sixty-six guns and mortars and its 
large supply of material. To General Worth's re- 
port, annexed, I refer for details. 

" I have heretofore endeavored to do justice to the 
skill and courage with which the heights of Cerro 
Gordo were attacked, naming the regiments most 
distinguished, and their commanders, under the lead 
of Colonel Harney. Lieutenant G. W. Smith led the 
engineer company as part of the storming force, and 
is noticed with distinction. The reports of this as- 
sault make favorable mention of many in which I 
can well concur, having witnessed the daring advance 
and perfect steadiness of the whole. Besides those 
already named, Lieutenant Brooks, Third Infantry, 
Lieutenant Macdonald, Second Dragoons, Lieuten- 



CERRO GORDO. 



187 



ant Vandorn, Seventh Infantry (all acting staff offi- 
cers), Captain Magruder, First Artillery, and Lieu- 
tenant Gardner, Seventh Infantry, seem to have won 
special praise. Colonel Riley's brigade and Tal- 
cott's rocket and howitzer battery were engaged in 
and about the heights and bore an active part. The 
brigade so gallantly led by General Shields, and after 
his fall by Colonel Baker, deserves high commenda- 
tion for its fine behavior and success. Colonels Fore- 
man, Burnett, and Major Harris commanded the regi- 
ments. Lieutenant Hammond, Third Artillery, and 
Lieutenant Davis, Illinois volunteers, constituted the 
brigade staff. These operations, hid from my view 
by intervening hills, were not fully known when my 
first report was hastily written. Brigadier-General 
"^ wiggs, who was in immediate command of all ad- 
vanced forces, has earned high credit by his judg- 
ment, skill, and energy. The conduct of Colonels 
Campbell, Haskell, and Wynkoop, commanding the 
regiments of Pillow's brigade, is reported in terms 
of strong approbation by Major-General Patterson. 
I recommend for a commission Quartermaster-Ser- 
geant Henry, of the Seventh Infantry (already known 
to the army for intrepidity on former occasions), who 
hauled down the national standard of the Mexican 
fort. In expressing my indebtedness for able as- 
sistance — to Lieutenant-Colonel Hitchcock, acting 
inspector general ; to Majors Smith and Turnbull, 
and respective chiefs of engineers and topograph- 
ical engineers ; to their assistant lieutenants. Lieu- 
tenants Mason, Beauregard, Stevens, Tower, G. W. 
Smith, McClellan, engineers, and Lieutenants Derby 
and Hardcastle, topographical engineers ; to Cap- 
tain Allen, chief quartermaster, and Lieutenant Blair, 



1 88 GENERAL SCOTT. 

chief commissary, and to Lieutenants Hagner and 
Laidley, ordnance, all actively employed — I am 
compelled to make special mention of the services of 
Captain R. E. Lee, engineers. This officer greatly 
distinguished himself at the siege of Vera Cruz, was 
again indefatigable during these operations, in re- 
connoissance as daring as laborious, and of the ut- 
most value. Nor was he less conspicuous in planting 
batteries and in conducting columns to their stations 
under the heavy fire of the enemy. My personal 
staff — Lieutenants Scott, Williams, and Lay, and Ma- 
jor Van Buren, who volunteered for the occasion — 
gave me zealous and efficient assistance. Our whole 
force present in action and in reserve was eight thou- 
sand five hundred. The enemy is estimated at twelve 
thousand or more. About three thousand prisoners, 
four or five thousand stands of arms, and forty-three 
pieces of artillery are taken. By the accompanying 
return I regret to find our loss more severe than at 
first supposed, amounting in the two days to thirty- 
three officers and three hundred and ninety-eight 
men — in all, four hundred and thirty-one, of whom 
sixty-three were killed. The enemy's loss is com- 
puted to be from one thousand to one thousand two 
hundred. I am happy in communicating strong hopes 
of the recovery of the gallant General Shields, who 
is so much improved as to have been brought to this 
place. 

" Appended to this report are the following papers : 
" (A) General return by name of killed and 
wounded. 

*' (B) Copies of report of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Hitchcock, acting inspector general (of prisoners 
taken), and accompanying papers. 



MEXICAN HISTORIAN'S ACCOUNT. 



189 



*' (C) Report of Brigadier-General Twiggs, and 
subreports. 

" (D) Report of Major-General Patterson and re- 
port of brigade commanders. 

" (E) Copy of report of Brigadier-General Worth 
announcing the occupation by his division of the cas- 
tle and town of Perote without opposition, with an 
inventory of ordnance there found. 

" I have the honor to remain, sir, with high re- 
spect, your most obedient servant, 

"WiNFiELD Scott. 

A Mexican historian gives the following account 
of the close of the battle : " General Santa Anna, ac- 
companied by some of his adjutants, was passing 
along the road to the left of the battery, when the 
enemy's column, now out of the woods, appeared on 
his line of retreat and fired upon him, forcing him 
back. The carriage in which he had left Jalapa was 
riddled with shot, the mules killed and taken by the 
enemy, as well as a wagon containing sixteen thou- 
sand dollars received the day before for the pay of 
the soldiers. Every tie of command and obedience 
now being broken among our troops, safety alone 
being the object, and all being involved in a frightful 
whirl, they rushed desperately to the narrow pass of 
the defile that descended to the Plan del Rio, where 
the general in chief had preceded, with the chiefs 
and officers accompanying him. Horrid indeed was 
the descent by that narrow and rocky path, where 
thousands rushed, disputing the passage, with des- 
peration, and leaving a track of blood upon the road. 
All classes being confounded, military distinction and 
respect were lost ; and badges of rank became marks 



1 90 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



of sarcasm that were only meted out according to 
their grade and humiliation. The enemy, now mas- 
ters of our camp, turned their guns upon the fugi- 
tives, thus augmenting the terror of the multitude 
that crowded through the defile and pressed forward 
every instant by a new impulse, which increased the 
confusion and disgrace of the ill-fated day." 

General Scott reports the strength of his army 
at Cerro Gordo at eight thousand five hundred, the 
killed and wounded four hundred and thirty-one, of 
which thirty-three were officers and three hundred 
and ninety-eight enlisted men. His estimate of the 
Mexican force was twelve thousand. The prison- 
ers captured were about three thousand, and the 
killed and wounded between one thousand and 
twelve hundred. P^orty-three cannon and three thou- 
sand five hundred small arms were captured. On the 
morning of the 226. the army moved to and occupied 
the town and castle of Perote without resistance. 

General Santa Anna now retired to Orizaba, where 
he was met by many distinguished citizens. He ad- 
dressed a letter to the a^ interim President, General 
Arroya, as follows : 

" Orizaba, April 22, 1847. 

*' My esteemed Friend: The dispatch which I 
have forwarded to the Minister of War will already 
have informed you of the events which occurred on 
the i8th inst. The enemy made an extraordinary 
effort to force the pass, and, exasperated by the re- 
pulse he had experienced the day before, and be- 
cause he knew his ruin was inevitable unless he suc- 
ceeded, attacked me with his entire army, which was 
not less than twelve thousand men. He put every- 
thing on the hazard of the die, and the cast was fa- 



SANTA ANNA TO ARROYA. jgi 

vorable to him. I do not regard the cause of the na- 
tion as hopeless, if it will defend its honor and inde- 
pendence as circumstances may require. I presume 
you have taken all proper measures for the public 
safety, and first of all for that of the capital. I shall 
be able to aid it very soon if it will defend itself. At 
present I have with me five hundred men and four 
guns, and there is no doubt but I shall collect in a few 
days a force equal to that I rallied at Cerro Gordo. 
I only require that you send me some money through 
the medium of bills of exchange, as I find it impossi- 
ble to raise a dollar. We must, my friend, not give 
up ourselves as lost, and, before God, you shall see 
that I will make no treaty with the enemy which will 
dishonor us or put us in worse condition. Write to 
me when convenient, and reckon always on the poor 
services of your most affectionate friend, who wishes 
you every happiness. A. L. de Santa Anna." 

The prisoners were all paroled, and the sick and 
wounded sent to Jalapa, where they were comforta- 
bly provided for. 

General Scott was impatient at the delay of the 
Government in sending him re-enforcements. He 
feared that his communications with Vera Cruz might 
be cut off. The time of enlistment of the twelve 
months' volunteers would soon expire, and he de- 
sired to discharge them in time to leave the coast 
before the prevalence of the yellow fever. 

He received information on April 27th that 
some one to two thousand recruits of the ten regi- 
ments recently provided for by Congress had been 
ordered to Brazos, and that every effort would be 
made to re-enforce General Taylor. The Secretary 



192 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



of War had ordered troops originally designed for 
General Scott to the relief of General Taylor, with- 
out notice to General Scott. 

On May 4, 1847, he issued an order to the volun- 
teer troops whose term of enlistment was about to 
expire, complimenting them for their services, but 
announcing his intention to discharge them. He 
then addressed the Secretary of War, saying : " To 
part with so large and so respectable a portion of the 
army in the middle of a country which, though 
broken in its power, is not yet disposed to sue for 
peace ; to provide for the return home of seven 
regiments from this interior position at a time when 
I find it difficult to provide transportation and sup- 
plies for the operating forces which remain, and all 
this without any prospect of succor or re-enforce- 
ments in perhaps the next seven months, beyond 
some three hundred army recruits, presents novel- 
ties utterly unknown to an invading army before. 
With the addition of ten or twelve thousand new 
levies in April and May, asked for, and until very 
recently expected, or even with the addition of two 
or three thousand new troops destined for this army, 
but suddenly, by the orders of the War Department, 
directed to the Rio Grande frontier, I might, not- 
withstanding the unavoidable discharge of the old 
volunteers — seven regiments and two independent 
companies — advance with confidence upon the ene- 
my's capital. I shall nevertheless advance, but 
whether beyond Puebla will depend upon interven- 
ing information and reflection." 

The army, having received supplies of medicines, 
ammunition, clothing, salt, etc., made preparations to 
move. Colonel Childs was appointed governor of 



OCCUPATION OF PUEBLA. 1Q3 

Jalapa, and a sufficient garrison left with him. Gen- 
eral Twiggs was ordered to march to Perote. Gen- 
eral Worth had occupied Perote on April 22d. The 
army then occupied Puebla, where during their pro- 
longed stay the troops were daily drilled, but were 
given permission to visit the ancient city of Cho- 
lula and the adjacent country. This city in the time 
of Cortez had a population of one hundred and fifty 
thousand, but was now a hamlet containing a small 
population and the ruins of its ancient glory. Gen- 
eral Scott relates that while in this region, " coming 
up with a brigade marching at ease, all intoxicated 
with the fine air and scenery, he was, as usual, re- 
ceived with hearty and protracted cheers. The group 
of officers who surrounded him differed widely in the 
objects of their admiration, some preferring this or 
that snow-capped mountain, others the city, and 
several the pyramid of Cholula that was now open- 
ing upon the view. An appeal from all was made to 
the general in chief. He promptly and emphatically 
replied, ' I differ from you all. My greatest delight 
is in this fine body of troops, without whom we can 
never sleep in the halls of the Montezumas, or in 
our own homes.' " 

The first re-enforcements to arrive were eight 
hundred men, under Lieutenant-Colonel James Sim- 
mons Mcintosh, escorting a train. They were de- 
layed by an attack of the enemy near Jalapa, but, 
being joined by Brigadier-General George Cadwalla- 
der with a portion of his brigade and a field battery, 
the enemy was soon driven, Major-General Gideon 
J. Pillow arrived next with a thousand men, and on 
August 6th Brigadier-General Franklin Pierce joined 
with two thousand five hundred men. 



194 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



General Scott felt compelled, on account of his 
reduced numbers, to order the garrison, under Colo- 
nel Childs at Jalapa, to join him. His force now was 
(including late re-enforcements) about fourteen thou- 
sand men, including two thousand five hundred sick 
in hospitals, and six hundred convalescents too fee- 
ble for duty. These convalescents and the same 
number of effective troops were left as a garrison 
under Colonel Childs, who was appointed comman- 
dant of the city of Puebla. This necessitated the 
almost total abandonment of the protection of his 
lines to his base at Vera Cruz, and communications 
to his Government. As Scott expressed it, "we had 
to throw away the scabbard and to advance with the 
naked blade in hand." 



CHAPTER X. 

Movement toward the City of Mexico — The Duke of Welling- 
ton's comments — Movements of Santa Anna — A commission 
meets General Worth to treat for terms — Worth enters Pu- 
ebla — Civil administration of the city not interfered with — 
Scott arrives at Puebla — Scott's address to the Mexicans after 
the battle of Cerro Gordo — Contreras — Reconnoissance of 
the pedregal — Defeat of the Mexicans at Contreras — Battle 
of Churubusco — Arrival of Nicholas P. Trist, commissioner 
— General Scott meets a deputation proposing an armistice — 
He addresses a communication to the head of the Mexican 
Government — Appointment of a commission to meet Mr. Trist 
— Major Lally — Meeting of Mr. Trist with the Mexican 
commissioners — Failure to agree — Armistice violated by the 
Mexicans and notice from General Scott — Santa Anna's in- 
solent note — The latter calls a meeting of his principal offi- 
cers — Molino del Rey — Chapultepec — Losses on both sides. 

The army began its movement from Puebla to- 
ward the City of Mexico on August 6, 1847. Twiggs's 
division was in the advance, General William Selby 
Harney's cavalry leading and the siege train bring- 
ing up the rear. The other three divisions followed 
successively on the 8th, 9th, and loth. No division 
was at any time more than seven or eight miles 
from support. It was expected that the army of 
Santa Anna would be met at Rio Frio, and hence 
General Scott's great caution in his movement to 
keep his divisions in supporting distance. 

The Duke of Wellington was so interested in this 
14 



96 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



march of the army from Vera Cruz to the Mexican 
capital that he caused its movements to be marked 
on a map daily, as information was received. Ad- 
miring its triumphs up to the basin of Mexico, he 
now said : " Scott is lost. He has been carried away 
by successes. He can't take the city, and he can't 
fall back upon his base." 

General Santa Anna, finding himself without 
money and with but a small following of troops at 
Orizaba, marched by way of Aculcingo and Amaso- 
que to Puebla. In the meantime he was using all 
efforts to gather re-enforcements for his army. 
There was but one day's interval between the troops 
of General Worth and the Mexican brigades of Leon- 
ard Perez and the cavalry under General Alcorta, 
the whole of which was commanded by General Santa 
Anna when he passed Amasoque. Finding that he 
could not successfully defend Puebla, the Mexican 
general withdrew to San Martin and Amasoque. 
Soon afterward he moved on the road toward the 
City of Mexico. 

Two or three miles from Puebla a commission 
met General Worth to treat for terms. A halt of a 
few hours was made, when the march was resumed, 
and the American forces without opposition marched 
into the Grand Plaza between the palace of the Gov- 
ernor and the cathedral. 

A Mexican historian thus describes the first ap- 
pearance and occupation of Puebla by the American 
troops : " The singular appearance of some of the sol- 
diers, their trains, their artillery, their large horses, 
all attracted the curiosity of the multitude, and at the 
corners and squares an immense crowd surrounded 
the new conquerors. The latter — extremely fatigued, 



OCCUPATION OF PUEBLA. 



197 



confiding in the mutual guarantees stipulated by the 
Ayuntamientimo and General Worth, or perhaps 
despising a people who easily permitted the occupa- 
tion of their territory — stacked arms in the plaza 
while waiting for quarters, while some wandered 
into neighboring streets to drink pulque and em- 
brace the leperos, with whom they seemed old ac- 
quaintances. [The leperos were the vagabonds of 
the city and country.] There is no doubt that more 
than ten thousand persons occupied the plazas and 
corners. One cry, one effort, the spirit of one deter- 
mined man would have sufficed; and if once this 
multitude had pressed in on the enemy, they would 
have inevitably perished. Nothing was done. Gen- 
eral Worth took quarters in the Governor's palace, 
east of the Grand Plaza, and upon its flagstaff 
hoisted the Stars and Stripes." 

General Worth took possession of Puebla on May 
15th, and, acting under orders of General Scott, he 
issued orders which gave assurance to the inhabit- 
ants that they would not be disturbed either in per- 
son or property, and that they could continue without 
molestation their ordinary business. The markets 
were kept open, and no officer or soldier was per- 
mitted to take anything without paying the regular 
market price. 

The civil administration of the city was not inter- 
fered with. The police of the city was continued 
under the regulations of the city government. The 
churches, of which there were a large number, were 
opened, and continued their usual functions, and the 
attendance was largely augmented by the American 
officers and men. In fact, the city, except for the 
presence of the United States troops, was in all 



198 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Other respects governed and conducted as before 
its occupation. 

General Scott left Jalapa on May 23d for Puebla. 
He arrived there on the 28th, and was met and es- 
corted into the city by a number of officers. Along 
the streets of the city through which he passed the 
balconies were filled with Mexican ladies and the 
avenues crowded with men. The populace cheered 
him heartily and escorted him to the palace. The 
soldiers, volunteers and regulars, gave him the 
heartiest welcome, showing that he had the respect 
and confidence of the army, and the demonstrations 
of the Mexicans evidenced that they regarded him 
as a humane and Christian conqueror. 

In this connection it is well to produce the ad- 
dress of General Scott to the Mexican people after 
the battle of Cerro Gordo : 

"Mexicans! The late events of the war and the 
measures adopted in consequence by our Government 
make it my duty to address you, in order to lay before 
you truths of which you are ignorant, because they 
have been criminally concealed from you. I do not 
ask you to believe me simply on my word — though he 
who has not been found false has a claim to be be- 
lieved — but to judge for yourselves of these truths 
from facts within the view and scrutiny of you all. 
Whatever may have been the origin of this war, 
which the United States was forced to undertake by 
insurmountable causes, we regard it as an evil. War 
is ever such to both belligerents, and the reason and 
justice of the case, if not known on both sides, are 
in dispute and claimed by each. You have proof of 
this truth as well as we, for in Mexico, as in the 
United States, there have existed and do exist two 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ADDRESS. 



199 



opposite parties, one desiring peace and the other 
war. Governments have, however, sacred duties to 
perform from which they can not swerve; and these 
duties frequently impose, from national considera- 
tions, a silence and reserve that displeases at all 
times the majority of those who, from views purely 
personal or private, are formed in opposition, to 
which Governments can pay little attention, expect- 
ing the nation to repose in them the confidence due 
to a magistracy of its own selection — considerations 
of high policy and of continental American interests 
precipitated even in spite of circumspection of the 
Cabinet at Washington. This Cabinet, ardently de- 
siring to terminate all differences with Mexico, spared 
no effort compatible with honor and dignity. It cher- 
ished the most flattering hopes of attaining this end 
by frank explanations and reasonings addressed to 
the judgment and prudence of the virtuous and pa- 
triotic government of General Herrera. An unex- 
pected misfortune dispelled these hopes and closed 
every avenue of an honorable adjustment. Your 
new Government disregarded your national interests, 
as well as those of continental America, and yielded, 
moreover, to foreign influences the most opposed to 
these interests, the most fatal to the future of Mexi- 
can liberty and of that republican system which the 
United States holds it a duty to preserve and pro- 
tect. Duty, honor, and dignity placed us under the 
necessity of not losing a season of which the mo- 
narchical party was fast taking advantage. As not 
a moment was to be lost, we acted with a prompt- 
ness and decision suited to the urgency of the case, 
in order to avoid a complication of interests which 
might render our relations more difficult and in- 



200 GENERAL SCOTT. 

volved. Again, in the course of civil war, the Gov- 
ernment of General Paredes was overthrown. We 
could not but look upon this as a fortunate event, 
believing that any other administration representing 
Mexico would be less deluded, more patriotic, and 
more prudent, looking to the common good, weigh- 
ing probabilities, strength, resources, and, above all, 
the general opinion as to the inevitable results of a 
national war. We were deceived, and perhaps you 
Mexicans were also deceived, in judging of the real 
intentions of General Santa Anna when you recalled 
and when your Government permitted him to return. 
Under this state of things the Mexican nation has 
seen the results lamented by all, and by usmost sin- 
cerely, for we appreciate as is due the valor and no- 
ble decision of those unfortunate men who go to 
battle ill-conducted, worse cared for, and almost al- 
ways enforced by violence, deceit, or perfidy. We 
are witnesses, and we shall not be taxed with par- 
tiality as a party interested when we lament with 
surprise that the heroic behavior of the garrison at 
Vera Cruz in its valiant defense has been aspersed 
by the general who has just been routed and put to 
shameful flight at Buena Vista by a force far inferior 
to his own. The same general rewarded the insur- 
gents of the capital, promoters of civil war, and 
heaped outrage upon those who had just acquired 
for themselves singular distinction by a resistance 
beyond expectation and of admirable decision. Final- 
ly, the bloody events of Cerro Gordo have plainly 
shown the Mexican nation what it may reasonably 
expect if it is no longer blind to its real situation — a 
situation to which it has been brought by some of 
its generals whom it has most distinguished and in 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ADDRESS. 20I 

whom it has most confidence. The hardest heart 
would have been moved to grief in contemplating 
any battlefield in Mexico a moment after the last 
struggle. Those generals whom the nation has paid 
without service rendered for so many years, have, in 
the day of need, with some honorable exceptions, 
but served to injure her by their bad example or un- 
skillfulness. The dead and wounded on those bat- 
tlefields received no marks of military distinction, 
sharing alike the sad fate which has been the same 
from Palo Alto to Cerro Gordo ; the dead remained 
unburied and the wounded abandoned to the clem- 
ency and charity of the victor. Soldiers who go to 
battle knowing they have such reward to look for 
deserve to be classed with the 'most heroic, for they 
are stimulated by no hope of glory, nor remembrance, 
nor a sigh, nor even a grave ! Again, contemplate, 
honorable Mexicans, the lot of peaceful and indus- 
trious citizens in all classes of your country. The 
possessions of the Church menaced and presented as 
an allurement to revolution and anarchy; the for- 
tunes of rich proprietors pointed out for plunder of 
armed ruffians ; and merchants and the mechanic, the 
husbandman and the manufacturer, burdened with 
contributions, excises, monopolies, duties on con- 
sumption, surrounded by officers and collectors of 
these odious internal customs ; the man of letters 
and the legislator, the freeman of knowledge who 
dares to speak, persecuted without trial by some fac- 
tion or by the very rulers who abuse their power; 
and criminals unpunished are set at liberty, as were 
those of Perote. What, then, Mexicans, is the lib- 
erty of which you boast ? I do not believe that 
Mexicans at the present day want the courage to 



202 GENERAL SCOTT. 

confess errors which do not dishonor them, or to 
adopt a system of true liberty — one of peace and 
union with their brethren and neighbors of the 
North. Neither can I believe the Mexicans igno- 
rant of the infamy of the calumnies put forth by the 
press in order to excite hostility against us. No, 
public spirit can not be created or animated by false- 
hood. We have not profaned your temples, nor 
abused your women, nor seized your property, as 
they could have you believe. We say it with pride, 
and we confirm it by an appeal to your bishops and 
the curates of Tampico, Tuzpan, Matamoros, Mon- 
terey, Vera Cruz, and Jalapa ; to all clergy, civil 
authorities, and inhabitants of all places we have oc- 
cupied. We adore the same God, and a large portion 
of our army, as well as of the people of the United 
States, are Catholics, like yourselves. We punish 
crime wherever we find it, and reward merit and vir- 
tue. The army of the United States respects, and 
will ever respect, private property of every class, 
and the property of the Mexican Church. Woe to 
him who does not where we are ! Mexicans, the past 
is beyond remedy, but the future may yet be con- 
trolled. I have repeatedly declared to you that the 
Government and the people of the United States de- 
sire peace, desire your sincere friendship. Aban- 
don, then, state prejudices; cease to be the sport of 
private ambition, and conduct yourselves like a great 
American nation. Abandon at once these old colo- 
nial habits, and learn to be truly free, truly repub- 
lican. You may then soon attain prosperity and 
happiness, of which you possess all the elements; 
but remember that yoti are America?is, and that your 
happiness is not to come from Europe. 1 desire, in 



MOVEMENT OF GENERAL WORTH. 



203 



conclusion, to say to you with equal frankness that, 
were it necessary, an army of one hundred thousand 
Americans would soon be among you, and that the 
United States, if forced to terminate by arms their 
differences with you, would not do it in an uncertain 
or precarious, or, still less, in a dishonorable man- 
ner. It would be an insult to the intelligent people 
; of their country to doubt their knowledge of your 
/ power. The system of forming guerrilla parties to 
/ annoy us will, I assure you, produce only evil to this 
/ country and none to our army, which knows how to 
protect itself and how to proceed against such cut- 
throats ; and if, so far from calming resentments and 
passion, you try to irritate, you will but force upon 
us the hard necessity of retaliation. In that event, 
you can not blame us for the consequences which 
will fall upon yourselves. I shall march with this 
army upon Puebla and Mexico. I do not conceal 
this from you. From those capitals I may again ad- 
dress you. We desire peace, friendship, and union ; 
it is for you to choose whether you prefer continued 
hostilities. In either case, be assured, I will keep 
my word. Winfield Scott." 

Worth's division, now preceded by Harney's cav- 
alry, moved from San Augustin on the main road 
toward the City of Mexico. These were followed by 
the other divisions of the army. On this route was 
situated the /^^;r^^/, which is a field of volcanic rock 
of very uneven surface. It is between the roads 
leading to the capital from San Augustin and Pa- 
dierna. A reconnoissance of the pedregal was made 
by Lieutenants Robert E. Lee and Pierre G. T. Beau- 
regard, who reported that there was a passage for 



204 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



wagons of only a mile, and the remainder might be 
crossed by infantry, carefully picking the way. The 
enemy were in position beyond the pedregal with 
considerable artillery. 

General Scott, on the night of the i8th, ordered 
a movement in the direction of Padierna. Worth 
was ordered to cover San Antonio, Quitman to hold 
San Augustin, and Pillow to march over the pedregal^ 
while Twiggs was to cover and support Pillow's 
movement. On the morning of this movement the 
Mexican General Blanco was ordered to construct 
batteries, and General Mejia to take position on the 
Pelon Cuauhtitlan to command the expected move- 
ments of the American army. General Santa Anna 
wrote from San Antonio through the Minister of 
War to General Valencia, at San Angel : " The gen- 
eral in chief directs me to say to your Excellency 
that the enemy having now [August i8th, 3 p. m.] 
taken up a position on our left in front of San An- 
tonio with a part of his forces, it is clear that 
to-morrow at the latest he will undertake the attack 
of this fortification, although it appears there is a 
movement going on at the same time on our right. 
His Excellency therefore directs you at daylight 
to-morrow morning to fall back with your forces to 
Coyoacan, and send forward your artillery to the 
fort and the tete-de-pont at Churubusco." 

General Valencia declined to obey this order, 
giving his reason as follows : " I should like much 
to be able to obey this order, but, in view of present 
circumstances, my conscience as a military man and 
my patriotism will not permit me. I believe the 
national cause will be lost if I should abandon these 
positions and the road leading from San Augustin 



MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL VALENCIA. 



205 



through Padierna to these points. To me it is as 
clear as the light of day that the enemy will under- 
take his attack, if not to-morrow, the day after, and 
that he desires to make two attacks at the same 
time, the one true and the other false, and that, 
should he find at the commencement of his move- 
ments one of the points of attack abandoned, as this, 
for instance, he will pass by this route with all his 
forces, and thus be enabled to assail our flank and 
turn our rear ; or, if he prefer it, he may pass on 
without obstruction to the City of Mexico." 

General Valencia, however, ordered a thorough 
reconnoissance by General Mendoza, an engineer 
officer, who reported " that Padierna was absolute- 
ly indefensible, and that it was believed best to retire 
for reasons expressed in his note." General Valen- 
cia ordered Colonel Barreiro to Zacatepetl to watch 
and report the movements of the enemy. He fur- 
ther ordered Colonel Mendoza to occupy with his 
regiment the edge of tht pedregal, having in his front 
a detachment of infantry under Captain Solos, and 
beyond him a detachment of cavalry. To the left 
of Padierna was posted the corps of San Luis Po- 
tosi, to the right the brigade of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Cabrera, and on the ridge were the batteries and 
brigade of General Mejia. The supporting line were 
three battalions. The reserve at Anzaldo, a mixed 
company of infantry and cavalry, was the command 
of General Solos, supported on the right by two regi- 
ments of infantry. 

Pillow's and Twiggs's divisions were observed by 
Colonel Barreiro to be moving over the mountain of 
Zacatepetl and the pedregal. On an open ridge com- 
manding the pedregal General Valencia had planted 



2o6 GENERAL SCOTT. 

guns which commanded the pedregal in the direction 
of San Augustin. On the morning of August 19th 
General Santa Anna ordered two battalions to move 
from Churubusco to San Antonio, Pillow's division 
of the American army having moved out from San 
Augustin on the road to Padierna, which was to be 
covered by Twiggs's division. Twiggs moved, fol- 
lowing Quitman, and passed beyond San Augustin. 
General Alvarez closed on his rear. A working 
party of five hundred men under engineer officers 
was detailed from Pillow's division to make the road 
to Padierna practicable for artillery. While work 
was progressing on this road General Scott notified 
General Pillow that Valencia was placing heavy guns 
in position, and ordered that the work be pushed 
forward as rapidly as possible. Before the road was 
finished half the distance Twiggs's division passed 
Pillow's command, and its advance was fired upon 
by the Mexicans. General Persifor F. Smith ordered 
the mounted rifle regiment under Major William Wing 
Loring, aided by a section of Magruder's battery, to 
drive in the Mexican pickets. Lieutenant George 
B. McClellan placed the artillery in position, but 
before it was ready for action it received a fire from 
the guns on the elevated ridge beyond Padierna. 
The remainder of Smith's brigade and the other sec- 
tion of Lieutenant John Bankhead Magruder's bat- 
tery were ordered forward, and the Mexicans were 
driven back. General Bennet Riley's brigade was 
ordered to the right, and to pass over the pedregal 
and take possession in the enemy's rear. General 
Cadwallader's brigade was ordered to support Riley's 
movement. General Scott, perceiving that re-en- 
forcements were approaching Valencia from the City 



CAPTURE OF PADIERNA. 



207 



of Mexico, ordered a regiment of General Franklin 
Pierce's brigade to move forward and occupy San 
Geronimo, and General James Shields with two regi- 
ments (New York, and Palmetto, South Carolina) 
was ordered forward as a support. General Persi- 
for F. Smith now moved to the front across the 
pedregal^ having left detachments as supports to the 
artillery of Magruder and Callender, which were 
ordered to open fire on the beginning of General 
Smith's movement. This movement of General Per- 
sifor F. Smith was led and conducted by Lieutenant 
Gustavus W. Smith. When this force reached the 
village or town of San Geronimo a large force of 
the enemy came in sight. Pierce's brigade was at 
once ordered to the front, and was met by a heavy 
fire. General Pierce having been disabled, Colonel 
Robert Ransom, of the Ninth Infantry, was in com- 
mand of the forces, which were conducted by Lieu- 
tenant Isaac Ingles Stevens, and moved to the right 
and front of Magruder's battery. Ransom, uniting 
with the detachment left by General Smith, took 
possession of Padierna, driving the Mexican General 
Mendoza. Riley's command was the first to pass 
th.Q pedregal, when it occupied the road on the oppo- 
site side with Captain Simon Henry Drum's com- 
pany of the Fourth Artillery. A detachment of 
Mexican lancers escorting a train was encountered 
and captured. 

Riley's command continued its advance, when a 
company of Mexican lancers was met and repulsed 
by Captain Silas Casey's company. A mounted force, 
under the Mexican General Frontera, consisting of 
two regiments, was met and repulsed by the Second 
Infantry under Captain Charles T. Morris and the 



2o8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Seventh Infantry under Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph 
Plympton. General Frontera was killed while lead- 
ing a charge. Riley now withdrew to San Geroni- 
mo, which he found occupied by Cadwallader's and 
Smith's brigades, and a regiment of Pierce's brigade 
under command of Colonel George Washington Mor- 
gan. When General Valencia's advanced forces were 
driven in by Twiggs's division on the pedregal^ Valen- 
cia announced (August 19th, 2 p. m.) to General 
Santa Anna at San Antonio that the enemy were 
approaching Padierna, the artillery had opened fire, 
and the battle had begun. General Santa Anna at 
once, on receipt of this information, sent an officer 
to Coyoacan with orders to General Perez to move 
at once to Padierna, and himself with two regiments 
and five pieces of artillery proceeded to join him. 
He arrived at Coyoacan just at the time when the 
command of Perez was moving, and he ordered it 
to move rapidly. 

On the evening of August 19th General P. F. 
Smith was in San Geronimo with three brigades of 
infantry, but without cavalry or artillery. His com- 
munications with the main army were cut off except 
through thQ pedregal. He determined to attack, how- 
ever, the next morning at daylight, carry the enemy's 
works, and establish his communications with the 
main army. His disposition of troops was as fol- 
lows for the night : Cadwallader's command in the 
outer edge of the village of San Geronimo, Riley's 
brigade parallel to it, the Rifles on the right, and 
the Third Infantry in the churchyard. In the night 
Captain R. E. Lee arrived, bearing a letter from 
General Scott asking to be informed of affairs be- 
yond the pedregal. The information sought for was 



SANTA ANNA FALLS BACK. 



209 



given, and Captain Lee was requested to inform 
General Scott of General Smith's intention to attack 
Valencia next morning, and asking that a diversion 
be made on Valencia's front. General Shields ar- 
rived at midnight, and was left to hold the vil- 
lage and cut off the enemy's retreat. In the mean- 
time Colonel Ransom abandoned Padierna, which 
was soon afterward occupied by General Valencia's 
forces, but not without stout resistance by the small 
detachment left there. 

At nightfall General Santa Anna fell back to San 
Angel, but failed to give notice of the movement to 
General Valencia. Mexican history states that at 
9 p. M. Ramero and Del Rio arrived at Valencia's 
headquarters and delivered an order from Santa 
Anna to Valencia to retire. General Solos, however, 
who was present, denies this, saying that the order 
was qualified by one to spike the guns, destroy the 
ammunition, and saving only what could be safely 
transported. General Valencia declined to obey the 
order. At 2.30 p. m. of August 20th Smith's troops 
moved to reach Valencia's rear. Riley's brigade and 
Cadwallader's followed this movement. General 
Shields with the New York regiment of Colonel 
Ward B. Burnett and the South Carolina regiment 
under Colonel Pierce M. Butler remained at the vil- 
lage, to intercept and cut off the enemy's retreat 
and to prevent re-enforcements from reaching the 
Mexicans. 

The night was intensely dark, and the streets of 
the village were very narrow, cut into gullies and 
very muddy. A heavy rain was pouring down, and 
the march was made under difficulties and necessa- 
rily slow. General Smith's position was on an emi- 



210 GENERAL SCOTT. 

nence about one thousand yards from the enemy's 
works, from which point he made the attack, Riley 
moved up the ravine to a slope leading to a high 
point of the ridge and attacked the enemy some 
eight hundred yards distant. Cadwallader followed 
Riley, and the Mounted Rifles and Engineer Company 
moved to a position in rear of the force confronting 
Riley. The Third Infantry and First Artillery were 
held in reserve. The attack was made as ordered by 
General Smith, and the enemy fled, pursued by Riley, 
the Mounted Rifles, and Engineers. 

The Third Infantry and First Artillery, held in re- 
serve, were attacked by a force of cavalry, which was 
driven off, and Valencia was completely routed. Gen- 
eral Shields, who held the village, seized the main 
road and cut off retreat in that direction. The enemy 
fled in the greatest confusion. The battle of Con- 
treras was one of the most brilliant victories of the 
war. It opened the road to the City of Mexico. 
Seven hundred of the enemy were killed, eight hun- 
dred and thirteen prisoners were captured, including 
eighty-eight officers, of whom four were generals; 
many standards, twenty-two pieces of brass cannon, 
a large number of stands of small arms, seven hun- 
dred pack mules, many horses, and large quantities 
of ordnance stores were added to the outfit of the 
American army. 

General Scott had planned to open up the way for 
the march of his army to the City of Mexico by the 
way of Padierna. Knowing or believing that a stub- 
born defense would be made by the Mexicans, he had 
ordered General Worth to march from San Antonio 
on the morning of August 20th, with Garland's bri- 
gade, by way of San Augustin to Padierna, to be fol- 



CHURUBUSCO. 211 

lowed by General Quitman, who was ordered to leave 
a cavalry force to hold San Antonio. But General 
Persifor F. Smith had won the battle before these 
troops arrived. 

A sufficient guard having been left with the pris- 
oners, General Persifor F. Smith was ordered with 
his brigade, the Mounted Rifles and Engineers, in 
pursuit of the fleeing enemy. They were attacked 
at San Angel, but the attacking party were soon 
driven off. General Pillow joined these forces at 
San Angel, and General Scott came up with them at 
Coyoacan, where he had ordered the army to halt. 

From this point in the direction of the capital, 
Churubusco was one mile ; two miles to the southeast 
was San Antonio. Churubusco is about six miles 
south of the City of Mexico, on a river of the same 
name, and on the road from San Angel and San An- 
tonio from San Augustin. General Scott on his ar- 
rival ordered Captain Lee, with Captain Phil Kear- 
ney's company of the First Dragoons and a company 
of the Mounted Rifles, to make a reconnoissance. In 
the meantime Pillow and Cadwallader were to attack 
San Antonio in the rear. General Worth assailing it 
in front. A reconnoissance having been made of the 
convent of San Pablo, in the town of Churubusco, a 
brigade from Twiggs's division, a part of Smith's bri- 
gade, Riley's brigade, and Taylor's battery were or- 
dered to attack. After the defeat of General Valen- 
cia at Contreras, General Worth returned with Gar- 
land's brigade in front of San Antonio. His orders 
were to attack as soon as Pillow and Twiggs, moving 
from Contreras, approached in the rear. Worth or- 
dered Clarke's brigade to move over t\\Q pedregal and 
turn the right flank of the fortifications at San An- 
15 



212 GENERAL SCOTT. 

tonio and cut the enemy's line of communication. 
Henry Francis Clarke's brigade was attacked on its 
march, but dispersed the attacking force, and soon 
encountered the rear of the Mexicans from San An- 
tonio and engaged them. Pillow with Cadwallader's 
brigade, joined Worth in pursuit of the fleeing Mexi- 
can troops and both attacked the tete-de-pont in their 
front. Riley's brigade having been ordered forward, 
General Scott ordered Pierce's brigade to move by 
the road leading north from Coyoacan across the 
Churubusco River by a bridge, turn to the right, and 
seize the causeway in the rear of the tcte-de-pont. Gen- 
eral Scott, learning that General Shields, in the rear 
of the Mexican lines, was in danger of being cut off 
and captured, ordered Major E. V. Sumner with the 
Mounted Rifles under Major W. W. Loring, and the 
Second Dragoons under Captain Henry Hastings 
Sibley, to his support. The attack of the Americans 
being persistently pressed on all sides, the Mexicans 
gave way and made a precipitous retreat, pursued by 
the victorious Americans. 

There remained yet to be captured the convent 
of San Pablo. This building, having very thick walls, 
was impervious to the attack of field pieces. It was 
defended by a well-constructed bastion, with flooded 
ditches, and guns placed in the embrasure. The at- 
tack was made by the First Artillery, followed by the 
Third Infantry. During the attack the enemy made 
several sallies from the convent, which were repulsed. 
The troops in the convent consisted of the Inde- 
pendencia and Bravo battalions, about six hundred 
and fifty each, with the necessary cannoneers for six 
guns, and in the tete-de-pont cannoneers for five 
guns, the San Patricio companies, and the battalion 



NICHOLAS P. TRIST. 



213 



of Tlapa. Along the Rio Churubusco, on the north 
side, was the brigade of General Perez, some twenty- 
five hundred strong. The Mexicans made a brave 
and gallant defense, but were compelled to succumb. 
The battles of Contreras and Churubusco were fought 
on the same day, and were really one battle. In 
both actions the American loss was one hundred and 
thirty-nine killed and nine hundred and twenty-six 
wounded. The Mexican loss was near four thousand 
killed and wounded, with the loss of three hundred 
prisoners, thirty-seven cannon, and a large number of 
small arms with ammunition. 

General Scott could easily have occupied the 
Mexican capital on the same day, but meanwhile Mr. 
Nicholas P. Trist had arrived from Washington with 
instructions from the President to endeavor to make 
a treaty of peace, and both he and General Scott 
thought it best to await the turn of events looking 
to that end. On the next morning, August 27, 1847, 
General Scott set out on the San Antonio road, and 
was met near Churubusco by a deputation bearing a 
white flag from the Mexican Government, proposing 
an armistice of thirty hours for burying the dead and 
collecting the wounded, which he at once rejected. 
The deputation accompanying the flag consisted of 
Senores Basadre, Mora y Villamil and Aranjos, who 
had been sent by Pacheco, Minister of Foreign Af- 
fairs. General Santa Anna expressed great dissatis- 
faction at the action of the Minister, on which he re- 
signed. General Scott addressed a communication 
to the head of the Mexican Government and general 
in chief, in which he said that too much blood had 
already been spilled, and suggested that it was time 
the differences between the two republics should be 



214 GENERAL SCOTT. 

settled. He mentioned (what was known to the 
Mexican authorities) that a commissioner on the 
part of the United States, clothed with full power to 
that end, was with his army. He expressed his will- 
ingness on reasonable terms to agree to a short ar- 
mistice. While he proposed to wait until the next 
morning for a reply, he announced his intention " in 
the meantime to seize and occupy such positions 
outside of the capital as I may deem necessary to the 
shelter and comfort of this army." 

The Mexican authorities, through Alcorta, Secre- 
tary of War and of the Navy, named two brigadier 
generals of the Mexican army. Mora y Villamil and 
Benito Quijano, to act as commissioners. 

General Scott appointed as commissioners Major 
General John A. Quitman, Brigadier-General Frank- 
lin Pierce, and Brevet Brigadier-General Persifor F. 
Smith. The convention concluded its work on the 
24th of August. It was agreed that hostilities should 
cease at once within thirty leagues of the Mexican 
capital. No work of a military character was to be 
done, and any re-enforcements or munitions of war 
except that now on its way to either army was to be 
stopped at a distance of twenty-eight leagues from 
the capital. The American army was not to obstruct 
the passage from the surrounding country into the 
capital of the ordinary supplies of food necessary for 
the subsistence of the Mexican army and the inhabit- 
ants within the city, nor were the Mexican authorities 
to obstruct the passage of supplies of subsistence from 
the city or country necessary for the supply of the 
American army. The armistice was to continue pend- 
ing negotiations or until the commander of either 
army should give notice to the other of its cessation; 



MAJOR LALLY AT OVEJAS. 215 

and forty-eight hours after such notice GeneralWorth, 
on the night of the 21st, moved his division to Ta- 
cubaya, where he was preceded by General Scott, and 
estabhshed his headquarters in the Bishop's Palace. 
General Quitman remained at San Augustin, to which 
point General Shields returned with his command. 
General Twiggs was at San Angel, and General Pil- 
low at Mexcoac. 

Previous to the occurrences just narrated, Major 
Folliot Thornton Lally had on August 6th marched 
with a force of about one thousand men from Vera 
Cruz. He was joined en route by a company of mount- 
ed Georgia volunteers, one of Louisiana mounted men, 
and two six-pounders, under command of Lieutenant 
Henry B. Sears, of the Second Artillery. General 
Don Juan Soto, Governor of the State of Vera Cruz, 
organized a force between one thousand and two 
thousand strong, a part of which were paroled pris- 
oners, with the purpose of attacking Major Lally and 
capturing his wagon train, which was supposed to 
carry a large amount of silver coin. An attack was 
made by this force on Major Lally at the pass of 
Ovejas, the engagement lasting an hour and a half. 
Captains James Nelson Caldwell, of the Voltigeurs, 
and Arthur C. Cummings, Eleventh Infantry, were 
severely wounded. Nine enlisted men were wounded, 
one mortally. The Mexican loss is not known. On 
August 12th the command reached Puente Nacional 
and found the Mexicans in considerable force, strong- 
ly barricaded. An artillery fire was opened on them 
and they were driven back. The American loss in 
this affair was sixty killed and wounded. On ap- 
proaching the battlefield of* Cerro Gordo they were 
again attacked, and sustained a loss of one killed and 



2i6 GENERAL SCOTT. 

eight wounded. Several other attacks of a similar 
character were made, but without success. Major 
Lally, with his troops and wagon train, arrived at Ja- 
lapa thirteen days out from Vera Cruz, when with- 
out interruption five days would have been sufficient 
for the march. Mr. Trist notified the Mexican Min- 
ister of Foreign Affairs, August 25th, of the object of 
his mission, and requested a meeting. He was ad- 
vised that commissioners would meet him on the 27th 
at Azapotzalco, which was between the two armies. 
General Santa Anna, after appointing several persons 
who declined, named General Herrera, Senor Conto, 
General Mora y Villamil, Seiior Atristain, and Sec- 
retary Miguel Arroyo. On the morning of the 27th, 
before the meeting of the commissioners, a train of 
wagons sent into the city to obtain supplies for the 
American army was met by a mob, stoned and driven 
away. Subsequently an apology was offered for this 
gross infraction of the armistice, and the wagons re- 
turned and secured their stores. 

On meeting the commissioners, Mr. Trist exhib- 
ited his powers, which were ample, but that of the 
Mexicans was simply confined to hearing proposi- 
tions from Mr. Trist. Mr. Trist objected to this 
limitation, but was assured that when it became 
necessary to sign the treaty they would exhibit full 
powers. The American commissioners presented the 
project of a treaty the leadmg feature of which re- 
lated to the boundary line between the two countries. 
It was also a part of the project that Mexico was to 
concede to the United States the right of transport 
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec free from tolls. 
These and all else asked by Mr. Trist were refused. 
The Mexican commissioners asked for further in- 



MEETING OF COMMISSIONERS. 



217 



structions from their Government, which were given 
— that they should neither exceed nor modify the 
former instructions given them. They asked to be 
relieved, as these instructions placed them in an em- 
barrassing position. A council of ministers was 
called, and their former instructions were changed 
so as to authorize them "to approximate to them as 
much as possible, agreeing to some modifications 
which the circumstances of the country may exact, 
as well as to things of minor importance which may 
arise during the discussion." 

On September ist, when the third meeting was 
held, the Mexican commissioners exhibited plenary 
powers. No agreement being reached, it was pro- 
posed to extend the armistice for forty-five days. 
But on September 5th the Mexican commissioners 
were informed that the Government would not con- 
sent to the extension or to the cession of New 
Mexico, which Mr. Trist had insisted on. The Mexi- 
can commissioners then submitted a counter project 
on the 6th, which in effect refused all of the more 
important concessions asked by the United States. 
With this the diplomatic conferences terminated. 
General Scott at once called a conference with his gen- 
eral officers. He stated to them the bad faith of the 
enemy, who commenced the work of repair on their 
fortifications. He recited the incident of the mobbing 
of teamsters. He closed by saying : " I have there- 
fore called you to headquarters to advise upon the 
propriety of dissolving the armistice, or [after a 
pause] to inform you that I have dissolved it, and 
to read to you my letter to General Santa Anna 
notifying him of the fact." Looking for the letter, 
he said, '^ I have torn it up." He at once wrote a 



2i8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

note and dispatched it to General Santa Anna, as 
follows : 

" Headquarters, Army of the United States of America, 
" Tacubaya, September 6, 1847. 

'■'To his Excellency the President a7id General in Chief of 

the Mexican Republic. 

" Sir : The seventh article, as also the twelfth, 
that stipulates that trade shall remain unmolested — of 
the armistice or military convention which I had the 
honor to ratify and to exchange with your Excel- 
lency the 24th ultimo— has been repeatedly violated, 
beginning soon after date, on the part of Mexico; 
and I now have good reasons to believe that within 
the last forty-eight hours, if not earlier, the third ar- 
ticle of that convention has been equally violated by 
the same party. These direct breaches of faith give 
to this army the most perfect right to resume hostili- 
ties against Mexico, without any notice whatever ; 
but, to allow time for possible apology or reparation, 
I now give formal notice that, unless full satisfaction 
on these allegations should be received by me by 12 
o'clock meridian to-morrow, I shall consider the said 
armistice at an end from and after that hour. 

" I have the honor to be your Excellency's most 
obedient servant, Winfield Scott." 

General Santa Anna replied in an insolent note, 
denying General Scott's charges and making counter 
charges. 

Many newspapers throughout the United States 
criticised General Scott in the severest terms for 
being duped by General Santa Anna into an armis- 
tice which the latter only desired to recruit his army. 
There is the strongest evidence — that of Mr. Trist and 



MOLINO DEL REY. 219 

the Mexican commissioners — that Santa Anna was 
really desirous to make peace. The manifesto which 
he issued to the nation is itself sufficient proof on 
this score; and certainly it reflects the highest credit 
on General Scott, that when he was at the very gates 
of the capital, which he could have entered in a few 
hours, he was willing to spare not only the lives of 
his own gallant army, but those of the enemy. Santa 
Anna now called a meeting of the principal officers 
and governmental civilians to meet him in the palace, 
and it was agreed to continue resistance. 

A force was at once sent out under cover of the 
guns of Chapultepec to strengthen the position and 
resist the advance of the Americans. At this point 
was a number of very large buildings known as Mo- 
lino del Rey, which had formerly been used for the 
manufacture of ordnance stores. Chapultepec was 
a strong, well-fortified and well-armed fort. Molino 
del Rey was occupied by a brigade of the National 
Guards, under General Leon. These were re-en- 
forced on the morning of the 7th by a brigade under 
General Rangel. The Casta Mata, a large store- 
house surrounded by a wide ditch and inclosed by 
a bastioncd fort, was occupied by the brigade of Gen- 
eral Perez, and between these two positions was 
posted General Ramirez's brigade with six pieces of 
artillery. In the rear occupying some woods were 
the reserves. 

The Mexican cavalry, about two thousand strong, 
under command of General Alvarez, was two miles 
west from Chapultepec on the right of the line. 
After a thorough reconnoissance by the American 
engineer, General Scott on the afternoon of the 7th 
issued the necessary orders for massing and dispos- 



220 GENERAL SCOTT. 

ing his army. The general depot was established at 
Mexcoac. One brigade of Twiggs's division under 
Colonel Plympton was ordered to move and threaten 
the city by way of the Nino Perdido road, moving 
at 6 p. M. Quitman marched from San Augustin on 
the 8th to Coyoacan. Pillow was to advance with 
one brigade and take command of the advanced po- 
sition which was held by Twiggs's division and a 
part of his own, while Cadwallader was to join Worth. 
At Molino del Rey was supposed to be a cannon 
foundry, and it was thought by General Scott that 
a large quantity of powder was stored there. Gen- 
eral Worth was ordered to make the attack, carry 
the enemy's lines, and destroy the ordnance works 
and return to his former position. To carry out 
this order General Worth directed General John 
Garland's brigade to be posted on the right with two 
pieces of Simon H. Drum's battery, so as to prevent 
re-enforcements from Chapultepec, and to be in po- 
sition to support, if necessary, the assaulting forces ; 
the guns of Captain Benjamin Huger to be placed on 
the eminence to Garland's right and rear; a storm- 
ing party of some five hundred picked men under 
Brevet Major George Wright, Eighth Infantry, to 
take post near and to the right of Huger's battering 
guns, to attack the battery in the center of the ene- 
my's lines; Clarke's brigade under Colonel James S. 
Mcintosh and Captain James Duncan's battery op- 
posite the enemy's right to support the assaultmg 
column; Cadwallader to be held in reserve; and Ma- 
jor Edwin V. Sumner with his cavalry to be posted 
on the extreme left. Some changes were made in 
the disposition of the Mexican forces. Early on the 
morning of the 8th Huger with two 24-pounders 



MOLINO DEL REY. 221 

Opened fire, and the assaulting column under Major 
Wright advanced under a heavy fire of grapeshot 
from the Mexican center and left. Undismayed, they 
pushed forward now under fire of musketry, cap- 
tured a battery, and turned it upon the enemy, who 
fled in confusion. They were soon re-enforced, and 
rallied and reopened fire not only from their lines 
but from the housetops and walls. The storming 
party was driven back, but Duncan's battery open- 
ing fire at this time checked the Mexican advance. 
The light battalion of Colonel Charles F. Smith, now 
under command of Captain Edmund Kirby Smith, 
Fifth Infantry, moved forward, supported by a part 
of Cadwallader's brigade, and this was followed by a 
forward movement of Garland's brigade and Drum's 
battery. This movement was irresistible, and the 
Mexicans fell back, bravely contesting every inch of 
ground. Pending the fire of Duncan's battery, one 
section of the battery, under Lieutenant Henry J. 
Hunt, opened fire on the enemy's lines between the 
Casta Mata and Molino del Rey. Mcintosh fought 
in close quarters, and charged and drove the enemy 
in his front, but received three wounds, one of which 
proved mortal. General Alvarez, commanding the 
Mexican cavalry, was held in check by the voltigeur 
regiment under command of Major E. V. Sumner, 
and Duncan's battery. The fight was continued 
obstinately and bravely by the Mexicans from the 
roofs of houses. The main force of the enemy, hav- 
ing been driven toward Chapultepec, were rallied by 
General Pena Y. Barragan, and made an advance. 
Captain Drum was ordered forward, and with a cap- 
tured six-pounder cleared the road. The battle lasted 
for more than two hours and was hotly contested 



222 GENERAL SCOTT. 

by the Mexicans. Those who escaped death or cap- 
ture retreated to Chapultepec, leaving General Worth 
in full possession of their lines. Worth's loss was 
one hundred and sixteen killed and six hundred and 
seventy-one wounded, a total of seven hundred and 
eighty-seven. His estimate of the Mexican strength 
was fourteen thousand. 



CHAPTER XI. 

General Quitman's movements to San Antonio and Coyoacan — 
Movements of General Pillow — General reconnoissance by 
Scott — Chapultepec — Scott announces his line of attack — 
Surrender of the Mexican General Bravo — Preparations to 
move on the capital — Entry of General Scott into the City of 
Mexico — General Quitman made Military Governor — General 
Scott's orders — Movements of Santa Anna — General Lane — 
American and Mexican deserters — Orders as to collection of 
duties and civil government. ; 

General Quitman, who, it will be remembered, 
was to march from San Augustin to Coyoacan on 
the 8th, having heard firing in the direction of Ta- 
cubaya, moved, early on September 8th, to San An- 
tonio, and from thence on to Coyoacan. A recon- 
noissance was made in the afternoon by General 
Pillow as far as the town of Piedad and the Nino 
Perdido roads, one of which leads to the Belen gate 
of the city and the other through a gate of the same 
name. These roads run parallel to each other, about 
three fourths of a mile apart. On the 9th, General 
Scott, accompanied by Captain R. E. Lee, made an 
examination of the works near the San Antonio gate, 
where they discovered Mexican soldiers busily at 
work. On the 9th Riley took position to the right 
of Piedad, and was joined on the nth by Smith's 
brigade and Francis Taylor's and Edward James 
Steptoe's batteries. 



224 GENERAL SCOTT. 

An advanced post of the enemy was evacuated 
on the approach of the Americans on the night of 
the 9th and occupied ; this force was strengthened 
by both infantry and artillery, and a bridge was 
thrown over a ditch in front of it for the passage 
of cannon. Colonel Harvey, on the night of the 
loth, occupied Mexcoac with the Second Dragoons 
for the purpose of protecting the hospitals and stores 
there. General Scott called a meeting of his gen- 
eral officers and informed them of his plan of at- 
tack. He had determined to attack either the San 
Antonio Garita or Chapultepec and the western 
gates. After hearing the opinions of his officers, 
who differed on the place of attack. General Scott 
determined to make the movement on Chapultepec 
and the western gate, and he so announced. 

A reconnoissance was made on the morning of 
the nth, with a view to the location of the batteries. 
The locations selected by Captain Huger, who was 
sent for the purpose, were adopted. The division of 
Quitman was ordered to unite with Pillow near Pie- 
dad in the evening, and after nightfall both divisions 
were to move to Tacubaya. Twiggs was ordered to 
remain in front of the southern gates and divert the 
enemy's attention. 

Major Sumner with seven companies was to march 
at daylight and join Pillow. Chapultepec is a natu- 
ral fortification, rising one hundred and fifty feet 
above the valley. A large building, the Military 
School, is on its summit, and it is bounded on the 
west by the Molino del Rey. The grounds are sur- 
rounded by a thick wall some fifteen feet in height. 
It is situated two miles from the Belen gate, and was 
regarded as the key to the city. The officer in com- 



ATTACK ON CHAPULTEPEC. 225 

mand was General D. Nicholas Bravo, an officer of 
skill, distinction, and courage. Second in command 
was General D. Mariano Monterde. The chief of 
engmeers was D. Juan Cano, and D. Manuel Gam- 
boa commandant of artillery. Generals Noriega and 
Perez were afterward attached to the command. 
The orders of the nth to Quitman and Pillow were 
to march to Tacubaya, where they awaited further 
orders. 

The attack was begun by the batteries of Drum 
and Peter Valentine Hagner, and the fire proved to 
be well directed. The guns at the castle answered 
promptly and kept up a vigorous cannonade. When 
there was some cessation of firing from the castle, 
Captain Lee, under direction of General Scott, using 
the wall of the aqueduct as a parapet, placed two 
pieces of artillery under Captain Horace Brooks, 
which opened fire. Steptoe's battery kept up a con- 
tinuous firing. Santa Anna, who was deceived at the 
point of attack, on hearing the guns of Steptoe, 
moved at once to Candelaria and San Antonio Garita, 
where he expected the attack. At noon he repaired 
to Chapultepec, and, taking charge of a battalion, 
moved to re-enforce a work which was being attacked. 
The Americans opened fire on this force and com- 
pelled it to withdraw. General Bravo, expecting an 
assault, asked for re-enforcements, which General 
Santa Anna promised should be furnished in time. 
In the meantime the Governor of the State of Mexico 
had arrived with seven hundred men, having reached 
a point near Tacubaya on the nth, and his arrival 
greatly increased the Mexicans' hopes. Not being 
joined by cavalry as he expected, the Governor re- 
mained inactive on the nth, 12th, and 13th. Quit- 



226 GENERAL SCOTT. 

man's division, with United States Marines and a 
company of New York volunteers, remained in the 
rear near the Tacubaya road during the 12th. 

It was now determined by General Scott to re- 
sume the bombardment early next morning, and to 
attack with the columns under Quitman and Pillow. 
In aid of this a storming party was detailed from 
Worth's division of ten officers and two hundred and 
sixty men, under command of Captam Samuel McKen- 
zie, Second Artillery, and a like detail from Twiggs's 
division under Captain Silas Casey, Second Infantry, 
in support of Pillow's movement, and General P. F. 
Smith's brigade of Twiggs's division was ordered to 
the support of Quitman. The bombardment was re- 
newed early on the morning of the 13th. Four com- 
panies of the voltigeur regiment, under Lieutenant- 
Colonel Joseph E. Johnston, were instructed, on the 
cessation of firing, to move rapidly under cover of the 
wall and enter the inclosure at its opening. Four 
companies under Colonel Timothy P. Andrews were 
ordered to unite with Johnston, deploy as skirmish- 
ers, and drive the enemy from his shelter. McKenzie 
was ordered to move in the rear of Johnston, with 
orders to follow the latter through the breach and 
advance rapidly and carry the main work by assault. 
A force of men carrying scaling ladders were placed 
with Johnston. Colonel William Trousdale, with the 
Eleventh and Fourteenth Regiments, and one section 
of Magruder's battery, under command of Lieutenant 
Thomas Jonathan Jackson, was placed in position in 
the road leading on the left of Chapultepec to the 
city, and ordered to advance and prevent an advance 
of the enemy in that direction. General Cadwallader 
was directed by General Pillow to execute the orders. 



CAPTURE OF CHAPULTEPEC. 



227 



General Smith's brigade had orders to move on the 
right of the column of attack and cut off the retreat 
of the enemy in that direction. General Scott now- 
notified the commanding officers of the attacking 
forces to be ready to move when the signal was 
given. The troops moved forward promptly at the 
signal, and after a brave and desperate struggle its 
gallant defender, General Bravo, surrendered. With 
the exception of Riley's brigade, Steptoe's battery, 
and the garrison at Mexcoac, all of the American 
army were engaged. General Scott's forces engaged 
amounted to about seven thousand five hundred men. 
The Mexican authorities state that eight hundred 
men were in Chapultepec. The brigades of Rangel 
and Pena were stationed near. The Mexicans en- 
gaged did not probably exceed four thousand men. 

Among the prisoners captured were Generals 
Monterde, Saldana, and Norriega, the former super- 
intendent of the military school, and forty of his 
pupils. On the commencement of the engagement 
these youths deserted their schoolrooms, and, arming 
themselves, joined in the defense of Chapultepec and 
fought with great bravery. 

Preparations were now made for an advance and 
the capture of the capital. The pursuit of the re- 
treating enemy was followed on two roads leading 
to the city, and there was considerable desultory 
fighting. At I o'clock a. m. on the 14th a deputa- 
tion of citizens arrived at General Worth's head- 
quarters, who were sent by him, under charge of Ma- 
jor William W. Mackall, to General Scott's headquar- 
ters. They reported that General Santa Anna had 
fled from the city, leaving it with the civil authori- 
ties, and they came to ask favorable terms of sur- 
16 



228 GENERAL SCOTT. 

render. General Scott declined to make any terms 
with them, telling them that the city had practically 
been in his possession from the day before ; that he 
would levy a moderate tax, and would be governed 
by no terms except his own and such only as the 
honor and dignity of the United States would re- 
quire. Early on the morning of the 14th a white 
flag was displayed at the Garita de Belen, and Gen- 
eral Quitman was requested to take possession, as 
the city had been evacuated by the Mexican army. 
Leaving a guard at the Belen gate, General Quitman 
marched his command and took possession of the 
citadel. Leaving the Second Pennsylvania Regiment 
at the citadel, he marched to the Grand Plaza, fol- 
lowed by Steptoe's battery. The Marine Battalion 
was placed in the National Palace, and the American 
flag was hoisted from its summit. Lieutenant G. T. 
Beauregard was dispatched to notify General Scott. 
About eight o'clock the general in chief, accompanied 
by his staff, with an escort of cavalry, all in full dress, 
passed through the northwestern angle into the 
Grand Plaza. The line of soldiers presented arms, 
lowered colors, and gave the drum beat. General 
Scott uncovered in acknowledgment of the salute, 
dismounted, and passed into the porte-cochere of the 
palace, followed by Generals Quitman and Smith and 
officers of the staff. He said, " Gentlemen, we must 
not be too elated with our success." Then turning, 
he said : " Let me present to you the Civil and Mili- 
tary Governor of the City of Mexico, Major-General 
John A. Quitman. I appoint him at this instant. He 
has earned the distinction, and he shall have it." 
The general then ascended the stairway and at once 
wrote General Order No. 284, as follows: 



OCCUPATION OF THE CAPITAL. 



229 



"Headquarters of the Army, 

"Mexico, September 14, 1847. 

*' I. Under the favor of God, the valor of this 
army, after many glorious victories, has hoisted the 
colors of our country in the capital of Mexico and on 
the palace of its Government. 

" 2. But the war is not yet ended. The Mexican 
army and Government have fled, only to watch an 
opportunity to turn upon us with vengeance. We 
must, then, be upon our guard. 

"3. Companies and regiments will be kept to- 
gether, and all stand on the alert. Our safety is in 
military discipline. 

"4. Let there be no drunkenness, no disorders, 
no straggling. Stragglers will be in great danger of 
assassination, and marauders shall be punished by 
courts-martial. 

''5. All the rules so honorably observed by this 
glorious army in Puebla must be observed here. The 
honor of the army and the honor of our country call 
for the best behavior on the part of all. To win the 
approbation of their country, the valiant must be 
sober, orderly, and merciful. His noble brethren in 
arms will not be deaf to this hearty appeal from their 
commander and friend. 

'' 6. Major-General Quitman is appointed Civil 
and Military Governor of Mexico. 

"By command of Major-General Scott. 

"H. L. Scott, 
^^ Acting Assistant Adjutant General.'* 

Firing having been heard in the street, General 
Scott said to an officer : " Will you have the kindness 
to go and say to our volunteer friends that it is un- 



230 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



soldierlike, bad manners, and dangerous to discharge 
arms in a city, and to say to their officers that it 
must not occur again. None of us desire, I am sure, 
to hear more musketry." When the officer returned 
he informed the general that it was not the volun- 
teers, but Mexicans, who were firing from the roofs 
of houses. Orders were at once issued to place sol- 
diers in the steeples of churches and on the roofs of 
houses as sharpshooters, to sweep the streets with 
artillery if necessary, and to break open and enter 
all houses from which the troops were fired upon. 
The prompt execution of this order soon had the ef- 
fect of putting a stop to the firing and restoring or- 
der in the city. 

The retreating Mexican infantry on its arrival at 
Guadalupe received orders from General Santa Anna 
to move to Tlalnepantla. One of the Mexican bat- 
talions having discharged its guns without orders and 
the sound being heard, Santa Anna, believing it to 
have proceeded from the American army, gave orders 
to countermarch. On learning the truth, the order 
was countermanded and the march resumed. Gen- 
eral Herrera was then ordered with artillery and in- 
fantry to march to Queretaro, while Santa Anna 
would move on Puebla and surprise and capture the 
small garrison left there by General Scott. 

General Santa Anna, learning of the street firing 
in the city, supposed that the Mexicans had rallied 
and were contesting the possession of the capital by 
the Americans. He received this information from 
Prospero Terez, one of the leaders of the mob, who 
urged him to return. He at once dispatched a staff 
officer to General Herrera, ordering his return, and 
took up the line of march for the capital. Learnmg 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ORDERS. 23 1 

on his approach that the Mexicans under Alvarez 
in their attempt on the city were unsuccessful, he 
revoked his order to Herrera and ordered him to 
proceed to Queretaro. Very soon he again sent 
orders to countermarch and move to the capital. 
Again he ordered Herrera to move on Queretaro, 
when he marched to Guadalupe and issued a call 
for a junta to meet on the i6th. 

From General Scott's report we learn that the 
loss in his army in the various engagements around 
and in the City of Mexico amounted to two thousand 
seven hundred and three. The whole force engaged 
in the capture of the capital was less than six thou- 
sand. The Mexicans admit that their force for the 
defense of the capital was about twenty thousand, 
with one hundred and four cannon. The Mexican 
army encountered by General Scott on his move to 
the capital was not less than thirty thousand. In 
nearly if not quite all of the engagements they were 
intrenched, and occupied their own chosen positions. 
Of these, the American army killed or wounded not 
less than seven thousand officers and men, captured 
three thousand seven hundred and thirty prisoners, 
more than twenty colors and standards, seventy-five 
pieces of ordnance, besides fifty-seven wall pieces, 
twenty thousand stand of small arms, and a large 
quantity of ammunition. 

Following are orders issued by General Scott 
after the occupation of the capital : 

** Headquarters of the Army, National Palace of Mexico, 

*^ September 16, 184'/. 
"General Orders No. 286. 

*' The general in chief calls upon his brethren in 
arms to return, both in private and public worship. 



232 GENERAL SCOTT. 

thanks and gratitude to God for the signal triumph 
which they have recently achieved for their country. 
Beginning with August loth and ending the 14th 
inst., this army has gallantly fought its way through 
the fields and forts of Contreras, San Antonio, Churu- 
busco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the gates 
of San Cosme and Tacubaya, into the capital of 
Mexico. When the very limited number who have 
performed these brilliant deeds shall have become 
known, the world will be astonished and our own 
countrymen filled with joy and admiration. But all 
is not yet done. The enemy, though scattered and 
dismayed, has still many fragments of his late army 
hovering about us, and, aided by an exasperated 
population, he may again unite in treble our num- 
bers and fall upon us to advantage if we rest inac- 
tive in the security of past victories. Compactness, 
vigilance, and discipline are therefore our only se- 
curities. Let every good officer and man look to 
these cautions and enjoin them on all others. 
" By command of Major-General Scott. 

"H. L. Scott, 
''^Acting Assistant Adjutant General'' 

" Headquarters of the Army, National Palace of Mexico, 

^'September 77, 1847. 
"General Orders No. 287. 

" The general in chief republishes, with important 
additions, his General Order No. 20, of February 19, 
1847, declaring martial law to govern all who may 
be concerned. There are nineteen paragraphs in the 
order. (See Ex. Doc. No. i. Thirtieth Congress, first 
session. Senate.) The last seven will be copied. 

" 13. The administration of justice, both in civil 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ORDERS. 



233 



and criminal matters, through the ordinary courts of 
the country, shall nowhere and in no degree be in- 
terrupted by any officer or soldier of the American 
forces except, first, in case where an officer or sol- 
dier, agent, servant, or follower of the army may be 
a party ; and second, in political cases — that is, prose- 
cutions against other individuals on the allegation 
that they have given friendly information, aid, or 
assistance to the American forces. 

'' 14. For the care and safety of both parties in 
all cities and towns occupied by the American army, 
a Mexican police shall be established and duly har- 
monized with the military police of said forces. 

^'15. This splendid capital, its churches and re- 
ligious worship, its convents and monasteries, its in- 
habitants and property, are, moreover, placed under 
the special safeguard of the faith and honor of the 
American army, 

*' 16. In consideration of the foregoing protec- 
tion, a contribution of one hundred and fifty thousand 
dollars is imposed on this capital, to be paid in four 
weekly installments of thirty-seven thousand five 
hundred dollars each, beginning on Monday next, 
the 20th inst., and terminating on Monday, October 
nth. 

" 17. The Ayuntamiento, or corporate authority 
of the city, is specially charged with the collection 
and payment of the several installments. 

" 18. Of the whole contribution to be paid over 
to this army, twenty thousand dollars shall be ap- 
propriated to the purchase of extra comforts for the 
wounded and sick in hospital, ninety thousand dol- 
lars to the'purchase of blankets and shoes for gratu- 
itous distribution among the rank and file of the 



234 GENERAL SCOTT. 

army, and forty thousand dollars reserved for other 
necessary military purposes. 

" 19. This order shall be read at the head of 
every company of the United States forces serving 
in Mexico, and translated into Spanish for the infor- 
mation of the Mexicans. 

*' By command of Major-General Scott. 

"H. L. Scott, 
^^ A ding Assistant Adjuta?it Gene /'at.'' 

" Headquarters of the Army, National Palace of Mexico, 

''' September 18, 184^. 
" General Orders No. 289. 

" I. The army by degrees, and beginning as soon 
as practicable, will be distributed and quartered 
over the city as follows : 

'' 2. The first division (Worth's) in or near the 
direct route from the San Cosme toward the cathe- 
dral and extending a little beyond the east end of 
the Alameda. This division will keep a competent 
guard with two guns of medium caliber at that gate. 

"3. The second division (Twiggs's) about the 
Grand Plaza and extending toward the gate of San 
Lazaro, or the Penon, at which it will keep a guard 
and two pieces of artillery, as above. 

"4. The third division (Pillow's) on or near the 
direct route from the gate of Peralvillo, or Guada- 
lupe, toward the cathedral, but not south of the con- 
vent of San Domingo, and will keep a guard of two 
pieces of artillery at that gate. 

''5. The volunteer division (Quitman's) on or 
near the direct route from the gate of San Antonio 
toward the cathedral, but not north of the Hospital 
of Jesus, and will keep a guard with two pieces of 
artillery, as above, at that gate. 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ORDERS. 235 

"6. The brigade of cavalry (Colonel Harney's) 
will be quartered in the cavalry barracks near the 
National Palace (marked on the plan of the city 
small m). This brigade will furnish daily a detach- 
ment of a corporal and six men to the respective 
gates of division, to serve as couriers between the 
gates and the commanders of the respective divi- 
sions, and for no other purposes, 

" 7. No private house shall be occupied by any 
corps or ofticers until all suitable public buildings 
within the above ranges shall be first fully occupied, 
and all officers attached to troops shall be quartered 
with or near their troops. 

" 8. No rent shall be paid by the United States 
for any buildings occupied by troops or officers with- 
out a special direction from general headquarters; 
nor shall any private house be occupied or quartered 
without the free consent of the owner or orders 
from general headquarters. No deviations from 
these injunctions will be tolerated. 

"9. The collection of customs or duties at the 
several gates of the city by the civil authorities of the 
same will be continued as heretofore until modified 
by the Civil and Military Governor, Major-General 
Quitman, according to the views of the general in 
chief ; but supplies belonging to the quartermaster 
and commissary departments will at once be ex- 
empted from all duties. 

"By command of Major-General Scott. 

"H. L. Scott, 
^^ Acting Assistant Adjutaiit General.'' 

The effect of the strict enforcement of these ad- 
mirable orders was to bring the American army 



236 GENERAL SCOTT. 

under a discipline which won for them the confidence 
of the people of the city, and to revive and restore 
trade, open up the churches, and, as near as could be 
done under the circumstances, to place matters in 
the city i7i statu quo ante bellum. At the meeting of 
the junta called by General Santa Anna he tendered 
his resignation as President of the Republic and of 
the command of the army. Under the Constitution 
of Mexico the office devolved upon Manuel de la 
Pena y Pena, who at once assumed it, and Santa 
Anna set out with a view to the capture of Puebla 
and the occupation of the road leading to the coast. 
Instead of marching on Puebla, Santa Anna 
turned his forces toward Queretaro, but in a few 
days countermarched. After two or three maneu- 
vers of this kind, he finally invested Puebla with about 
fifteen hundred cavalry and four field pieces. He 
summoned Colonel Childs, who was in command, to 
surrender on the score of humanity. Santa Anna 
represented his force at eight thousand men, and 
threatened assault. Colonel Childs declined to sur- 
render, and made preparations to resist the assault 
by strengthening his position. The threatened as- 
sault was not made. On October ist Santa Anna 
raised the siege of Puebla and marched toward El 
Pinal to intercept a train of wagons with supplies 
and re-enforcements, leaving General Rea with suffi- 
cient force to continue operations against the Amer- 
icans. The Americans were so annoyed by continu- 
ous firing from the housetops that Captain William 
F. Small, First Pennsylvania Infantry, was ordered 
to dig through the walls of the houses until he had 
gained a point which would command a barricade 
that had been thrown up by the Mexicans. The 



MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL LANE. 



237 



enemy was driven off, leaving seventeen dead on the 
ground ; the barricade was then burned. Hostile 
parties were constantly annoying the garrison, until 
two companies of the First Pennsylvania regiment 
were sent out and dispersed them. Many skirmishes 
took place, which invariably resulted disastrously to 
the enemy. 

General Joseph Lane's efforts to exterminate the 
roving bands of guerillas and rancheros involved great 
rapidity of movement, and he had officers and men 
under his command eminently fit for such service. 
One of the most pestiferous of the guerillo leaders 
was a Catholic priest called Padre Juarata. He 
seemed to be everywhere at once, and notwithstand- 
ing his party was frequently met by the Americans, 
sometimes surrounded and always beaten, yet the 
Padre adroitly managed to get out of every trap and 
escape. Being a priest, he was always ready and 
willing to administer the last rites of the Church to 
friend or foe. 

While the army was at Puebla, General Scott or- 
ganized a company of Mexicans under command of 
one Dominguez, which was regularly mustered into 
the service of the United States. A battalion of de- 
serters from the American army, known as the San 
Patricio Battalion, composed almost wholly of Euro- 
peans, was organized under the command of one 
O'Riley. These two commands met in battle in the 
convent of Churubusco, and fought each other with 
great desperation. The Mexicans under Dominguez 
entered Churubusco with the American army, and 
met the execration of their countrymen, who de- 
nounced them as traitors. The American deserters 
(the San Patricio Battalion) were captured at Churu- 



238 GENERAL SCOTT. 

busco, tried by court-martial, and all but sixteen 
sentenced to death and executed. Some were par- 
doned, and O'Riley, their leader, was branded with 
the letter D on his cheek and released. This clem- 
ency was shown him because he deserted before 
hostilities commenced. 

The number of American troops engaged at Chu- 
rubusco on August 19th and 20th was four thousand 
five hundred. The entire force engaged at Churu- 
busco was about seven thousand four hundred. Gen- 
eral Scott's estimate of the Mexican force on August 
20th, including Contreras, Churubusco, and the road 
between San Antonio and Churubusco, the Portales, 
and the road to the Capitol, was thirty-two thousand. 

In these battles three thousand prisoners were 
captured, including eight general officers and two 
hundred and five other officers. The killed and 
wounded amounted to over four thousand. Thirty 
pieces of cannon were taken. The loss to the 
American army was one hundred and thirty-nine 
officers, including sixteen killed, and one thousand 
and fifty-three enlisted men ; sixty officers and eight 
hundred and seventy-six men wounded. 

Commodore William B. Shubrick having cap- 
tured Mazatlan and Guaymas, General Scott wrote 
him, December 2, 1847 : " I have been waiting here 
for two and a half months to learn the views of the 
Government at home, or at least for re-enforcements, 
before undertaking any new and, distant operations. 
The forces I have under my orders in the whole of 
this republic, except the troops immediately under 
Major-General Taylor, only give me means of hold- 
ing Tampico, Vera Cruz, Puebla, Chapultepec, and 
this capital." 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ORDERS. 239 

General Scott had made a careful study of the 
statistics of Mexican finances, and previous to or- 
dering the occupation of several important districts 
near the capital, to be followed by a like disposition 
in more remote departments, issued General Orders 
No. 376, December 15, 1847 : 

" (i) This army is about to spread itself over and 
to occupy the Republic of Mexico until the latter 
shall sue for peace on terms acceptable to the Gov- 
ernment of the United States. (2) On the occupa- 
tion of the principal point or points in any State the 
payment to the Federal Government of this republic 
of all taxes or dues of whatever manner or kind 
heretofore, say in 1844, payable or collected by that 
Government, is absolutely prohibited, as all such 
taxes, dues, etc., will be demanded of the proper civil 
authorities for the support of the army of occupation, 
(3) The State and Federal districts being already so 
occupied, as well as the States of Vera Cruz, Puebla, 
and Tamaulipas, the usual taxes or dues heretofore 
contributed by the same to the Federal Government 
will be considered as due and payable to this army 
from the beginning of the present month, and will 
early be demanded of the civil authorities of said 
States and districts under rules and penalties which 
shall be duly announced and enforced. (4) Other 
States of this republic, as the Californias, New Mexi- 
co, Chihuahua, Coahuila, New Leon, etc., already 
occupied by the forces of the United States, though 
not under the immediate orders of the general in 
chief, will conform to the prescriptions of this order, 
except in such State or States where a different sys- 
tem has been adopted with the sanction of the Gov- 
ernment at Washington. (5) The internal taxes or 



240 GENERAL SCOTT. 

dues referred to are: i, District taxes; 2, Dues on 
the production of gold and silver; 3, Melting and 
assaying duties; 4, The tobacco rent; 5, Rent of 
stamped paper; 6, The rent on the manufacture of 
playing cards; and, 7, The rent of post offices. (6) 
The rent of national lotteries is abolished, lotteries 
being hereby prohibited. (7) Import and export 
duties at ports of the republic will remain as fixed 
by the Government of the United States, except that 
the exportation of gold and silver in bars or ingots — 
plata y oro en pasta — is prohibited until the further in- 
structions of the Government on the subjects. (8) 
All imported articles, goods, or commodities which 
have once paid or given sufficient security for the 
payment of duties to the United States at any port 
of entry of the republic shall not again be burdened 
with any tax or duty in any port of this republic oc- 
cupied by the forces of the United States. (9) The 
levying of duties on the transit of animals, goods, or 
commodities, whether of foreign or domestic growth, 
from one State of this republic to another, or on 
entering or leaving the gate of any city within the 
republic, will, from and after the beginning of the 
ensuing year, be prohibited, as far as the United 
States forces may have power to enforce the prohibi- 
tion. Other and equitable means, to a moderate ex- 
tent, must be resorted to by the several State and 
city authorities for the necessary support of their re- 
spective governments. (10) The tobacco, playing 
cards, and stamped paper rents will be placed for 
three, six, or twelve months under the contract with 
the highest bidders respectively, for the several 
States, the State and Federal district of Mexico being 
considered one. Accordingly, offers or bids for those 



GENERAL SCOTT'S ORDERS, 



241 



rents within each State, or any of them, are invited. 
They will be sent in as early as possible, sealed, to the 
headquarters of departments, except for the Federal 
District and State of Mexico. For this latter the 
offers or bids will be addressed to the general in 
chief. (11) Further details for the execution of the 
foregoing system, of government and revenue will 
soon be given in general orders." 

General Scott forwarded the above order to Wash- 
ington, together with a memoir of the precious metals, 
showing that he had carefully studied and had thor- 
ough knowledge of the subject. In his letter for- 
warding the order he said : 

'' The Government of the United States proposes 
that their forces shall occupy the Mexican Republic, 
and raise in said country the means to meet the ex- 
penses of occupation. To obtain this object, it ap- 
pears convenient that said resources should be raised 
so as to interfere as little as possible with the exist- 
ing interests of foreign as well as of native residents ; 
for if any measure calculated to involve the ruin of 
a part or the whole of said interests was taken, there 
is little or no doubt that the results would be as in- 
jurious to the interest of the United States as to 
those of this country, for the destiny of both inter- 
ests in the case of occupation is linked together. It 
appears that this recommendation, besides being fully 
justified by a sound policy, will also be the means of 
facilitating the organization of a financial system, 
and ultimately lead to increase of revenue. 

'' The tariff given by the United States for the 
Mexican ports occupied allows the free exportation 
of gold and silver either in bars or coined. Although 



242 GENERAL SCOTT. 

it has been done, perhaps, with a liberal view, it would 
seem that the measure was taken to hostilize the 
Mexican Government, preventing thus any advance 
from being made to said Government on future ex- 
port duties on silver or gold, and depriving it of that 
resource. However, who would benefit by the free 
export of gold or silver ? It is well known that 
nothing finds its level, respecting prices, as soon as 
the precious metals, and therefore as soon as the 
exportation should be carried mto effect there would 
have been exchange on England, France, and the 
United States, a difference equivalent to the duties 
taken off on the precious metals. The free exporta- 
tion would apparently have been advantageous to 
none but the miners; apparently is the word, for it is 
evident that the higher prices obtained by them at 
first would have gradually come down until they 
were on a level with those obtained m Europe, and 
ultimately would have become lower than they are 
to-day, for it is not to be doubted that the free ex- 
portation of bars partially or totally occasioning the 
ruin of the mints, coined specie would have disap- 
peared from circulation, and that miners would have 
been for the sale of their product entirely at the 
mercy of the speculators, while, the exportation being 
prohibited, the mints are obliged to pay to them at 
any time a fixed price for their gold and silver which 
can not be altered. 

*' The exportation of gold and silver in bars has 
been prohibited in this country by all the tariffs that 
have existed either under the Spanish or Mexican 
Government; and though licenses of exportation to 
a small amount have now and then been granted, the 



SCOTT IN THE MEXICAN CAPITAL. 



243 



prohibition has been the rule and the exportation has 
been the exception, until the Mexican Government, 
having rented all their mines but two to foreign 
companies, has taken the solemn engagement not 
to give any more licenses of exportation. As it may 
easily be supposed, the engagement of giving no 
more licenses of exportation has been the principal 
basis on which the companies have relied to make 
their contracts, and the principal inducement for them 
to advance the rent as they have done. It is not 
known what policy will be adopted by the United 
.States respecting neutral interests in Mexico in case 
the country should be occupied by their armies, but 
too high an opinion is entertained of the justice of 
their Government to admit for a moment the possi- 
bility of such interests being sacrificed or ruined 
when no direct benefit could be derived from such a 
measure for the United States, and when, on the con- 
trary, it might be injurious to them, as may be ex- 
plained." 

On December 17th he again wrote to the Secre- 
tary calling his attention to General Orders No. 376, 
the seventh paragraph of which contained the duties 
on exported bars of gold and silver, which had been 
made free by order of the United States Govern- 
ment. Since the publication of the order he had 
seen a slip cut from a Vera Cruz paper of the 17th, 
from the Department to him on the subject, which 
said : " I have taken great pains to obtain correct 
information in respect to the production -and expor- 
tation of the precious metals in and from this coun- 
try. The Mexican policy has been uniform against 
the exportation of bars and ingots, though, from 
want or cupidity, special licenses have been given in 
17 



244 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



violation of that sound policy and in gross violation 
of the rights purchased by the renters of the mints. 
This army is also interested in some prohibition, for 
if we permit the exportation of bars and ingots there 
will be but little domestic coinage, our drafts would 
soon be under par, and the Mexicans, from want of 
sufficient circulating medium, be less able to pay the 
contributions which we propose to levy upon them 
through their civil authorities." 

General Scott, knowing the President's great de- 
sire to have the war terminated, embraced every op- 
portunity to keep him advised as to the prospects, 
more or less remote, of peace, and wrote, December 
14th, that he " had received no communication from 
the Mexican Government, and did not expect any 
before the Congress and President had been in- 
stalled, about March loth. It is believed that both 
will be inclined to peace." Congress, however, did 
not meet until May. 

General William O. Butler arrived at the capital 
December i8th with thirty-six hundred men, and 
the train dispatched November ist, under Colonel 
Harney, returned, under command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Joseph E. Johnston, of the voltigeurs, with 
thirteen hundred men in addition to the escort that 
accompanied it on the trip down. These re-enforce- 
ments, with those that recently arrived, made a total 
of eight or nine thousand for duty. 

General Scott was anxious to occupy the mining 
districts of- San Luis and Zacatecas, maintain com- 
munication with the capital, and open one with 
Tampico, and for that purpose needed two columns 
of five thousand men each, and to garrison the State 
capitals within reach of the two columns. It was 



FAILURE OF SUPPLIES. 



245 



represented that great embarrassment would result 
from the movement on Zacatecas, as that column 
would have to march through Queretaro to reach its 
destination. It was represented that it would cause 
the dispersion of the Mexican Government and make 
its assembling at any other point doubtful. The 
Department, however, directed the double move- 
ment to be made when the re-enforcements known 
to have left Vera Cruz would arrive, unless in the 
meantime otherwise instructed. 

The commanding general was greatly disap- 
pointed when the first train returned from Vera 
Cruz without bringing a jacket, blanket, or a pair 
of shoes for the army. That small depot had been 
exhausted by the troops of Patterson, Butler, and 
Marshall, who were fresh from home, or the Brazos, 
and others that arrived without clothing since June ; 
and on December 25th he wrote of his great disap- 
pointments, and stated that this want might delay 
distant expeditions for many weeks, as some of the 
new volunteers were in want of essential articles of 
wear. He called attention to the fact that requisi- 
tions for clothing made by the regular regiments 
over a year previous had not been sent, or at any 
rate had not reached the regiments. Xo general 
ever paid more attention or displayed greater interest 
in the comfort of his men than General Scott. The 
quartermaster's and commissary departments were 
his never-ceasing care, and he gave constant personal 
attention to both. 

On the matter of assessments he says : " You 
perceive I do not propose to seize the ordinary State 
or city revenue, as that, in my judgment, would be 
to make war on civilization, as no communitv can 



246 GENERAL SCOTT. 

escape absolute anarchy without civil government. 
I shall take care, however, to see that the means 
collected within any particular State or city for that 
purpose are moderate and reasonable." 

Order No. 395 was issued December 31st, specify- 
ing the States by name and the several sums they would 
be annually taxed. The duties paid at the gates of 
the cities, and in passing from one State to another, 
as well as the tobacco monopoly and lotteries, were 
abolished. Governors and members of the Legisla- 
ture of the different States, and all collecting officers 
then in commission and charged with the collection 
of Federal duties of any, were held individually re- 
sponsible in their persons and property for the col- 
lection and payment of the assessment. The order, 
which was a long one and carefully prepared, gave 
many details. The last two paragraphs say : " The 
American troops, in spreading themselves over this 
republic, will take care to observe the strictest disci- 
pline and morals in respect to the persons and prop- 
erty of the country, purchasing and paying for all 
necessaries and comforts they may require, and 
treating the unoffending inhabitants with forbear- 
ance and kindness. The higher honor of the coun- 
try, as well as the particular honor of the army, must 
and shall be maintained against the few miscreants 
in our ranks. The laws of war will also be strictly 
observed toward all Mexicans who respect those 
laws. For the treatment of those atrocious bands 
of guerillos and armed rancheros, General Order 
No. 392 of the 12th instant will be rigidly en- 
forced." 

To prevent frauds in the payment of dues as as- 
sessed. General Orders No. 8, of January 9, 1848, 



WAR DEPARTMENT VIEWS. 



247 



were issued. The orders referred to and quoted in 
part show that General Scott was eminently quali- 
fied to fulfill a position in civil as well as military life. 
The orders he promulgated were laws to the Mexi- 
cans, and show that his administration of the civil 
affairs of the conquered country was wise, merciful, 
and judicious. It was here that General Scott's early 
legal training manifested itself. These orders had an- 
ticipated the message of the President which reached 
him on the 14th in a communication from the War 
Department, and in which the President's views were 
given in regard to the future prosecution of the war. 
Pie was urged to endeavor to lessen expenses by 
compelling Mexico to contribute, and see the neces- 
sity of making a peace honorable alike to both coun- 
tries. Says the Secretary : " Our object being to 
obtain acceptable terms, which it is apprehended can 
not be speedily obtained without making the enemy 
feel he is to bear a considerable part of the burden 
of war. 

*' Should there not be at this time a government 
in Mexico of sufficient stability to make peace, or 
should the authority which there exists be adverse 
to it, and yet a large and influential portion of the 
people be really disposed to put an end to hostilities, 
it is desirable to know what prospect there is that 
the latter could, with countenance and protection of 
our arms, organize a government willing to make 
peace and sustain relations of peace with us. It is 
presumed that your opportunities of knowing the 
disposition of the people of Mexico will enable you 
to furnish your Government with correct information 
on the subject, and the President desires to be fur- 
nished with your views." 



248 GENERAL SCOTT. 

On January 6, 1848, General Scott reported to the 
Department that his total force in the Valley of 
Mexico was fourteen thousand nine hundred and 
sixty-four, with only eleven thousand one hundred 
and sixty-two fit for duty, measles prevailing mainly 
among the volunteers. Half of General Marshall's 
force at Jalapa was sick, and he reported, December 
2 2d, that he had sent his wagons back to Vera Cruz 
for medicines and other supplies. Pachuca was oc- 
cupied without opposition by Colonel Jones M. 
Withers, Ninth Infantry, and General Cadwallader 
marched, December 22d, for Lerma and Toluca, the 
latter the State capital and thirty-eight miles from 
the City of Mexico. 

On January 13th General Scott reported the un- 
successful efforts of Colonel Wynkoop's First Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers to capture the Padre Jaruata, 
but the same colonel, learning of General Valencia's 
whereabouts, made a night march, surprised and cap- 
tured him and a colonel of his staff. Colonel Jack 
Hays made efforts to capture Jaruata, but also failed. 
He had an engagement with the band, killing and 
woundmg many of them. 

On January 12, 1848, a letter was dispatched by 
the Secretary of War to General Scott informing him 
that he had been relieved from the command of the 
army by order of the President of the United States, 
and was to be brought before a court of inquiry to 
be convened in the Castle of Perote, Mexico, on the 
i8th of February. 

On February 2, 1848, General Scott acknowledged 
receipt of the Secretary's letters of November 8th and 
17th and December 14th. The system of finance — 
prohibiting the export duties on coins and the prohibi- 



"THE WAR OF DETAIL." 249 

tion of export in bars, inaugurated by the general — 
differed materially from the instructions in the Sec- 
retary's letter of November 17th, and the general 
hoped, for the reasons suggested in his letter of De- 
cember 17th, that the President would consent to 
adopt his views in respect to the precious metals. 
He informed the Secretary that the ayuntamiento of 
the capital had charged itself with the payment on 
account of the Federal district of four hundred 
thousand dollars of the six hundred and sixty-eight 
thousand three hundred and thirty-two dollars im- 
posed per year on the State of Mexico ; that General 
Cadwallader would soon begin to collect through the 
ayuntamiento of Toluca a large part of the remain- 
der. Colonel Clarke, of the Sixth Infantry, had been 
ordered into the Cuernavaca Valley, forty-three 
miles south, with a force amply sufficient to enforce a 
thorough collection. 

General Scott says : " The war of masses ended 
with the capture of the enemy's capital ; the war of 
detail^ including the occupation of the country and 
the collection of revenue, requires a large additional 
force, as before suggested." Referring to the fact 
that he had learned it was thought in Washington 
that " he had thirty thousand men under his com- 
mand, while in truth, including the forces at Tam- 
pico, Vera Cruz, on the line from that port, and in 
the valley and vicinity, he had a total of twenty- 
four thousand eight hundred and sixteen ; the sick, 
necessary, and indispensable garrisons deducted 
would leave an available force for distant service of 
only four thousand five hundred, and he did not know 
of the approach of any considerable re-enforcements. 
Seven thousand he deemed a minimum number with 



250 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



which the important line from Durango through 
Zacatecas and San Luis to Tampico could be opened 
and maintained. Many of the volunteers were sick 
with measles, mumps, and erysipelas, common among 
all classes of soldiers." 

A treaty of peace had been agreed upon and 
signed and was to be forwarded at once. Referring 
to the fact, he says : " In about forty days I may 
receive an acknowledgment of this report, and by 
that time, if the treaty of peace be not accepted, I 
hope to be sufficiently re-enforced to open the com- 
mercial line between Zacatecas and Tampico. The 
occupation of Queretaro, Guanajuato, and Guadala- 
jara would be the next in importance, and some of 
the ports of the Pacific third. Meanwhile the collec- 
tion of internal revenue dues on the precious metals 
and direct assessments shall be continued." 

The following is the organization of the army in 
its march from Puebla to the City of Mexico : 

General Staff. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Assistant Inspector 

General. 
Captain Henry Lee Scott, Acting Adjutant General. 
First-Lieutenant T. Williams, Aid-de-camp. 
Brevet First-Lieutenant George William Lay, Aid-de-camp. 
Second-Lieutenant Schuyler Hamilton, Aid-de-camp. 
Major J. P. Gaines, Volunteer Aid-de-camp. 

Engineer Corps. •) 

Major John Lind Smith, Chief ; Captain Robert Edward Lee ; 
Lieutenants Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, Isaac I. Stevens, 
Zealous Bates Tower, Gustavus Woodson Smith, George B. Mc- 
Clellan, John Gray Foster. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 25 1 

Ordnance Department. 

Captain Benjamin Huger, Chief, with siege train. 
First-Lieutenant Peter Valentine Hugner. 
Second-Lieutenant George Thom. 
Brevet Second-Lieutenant E. L. F. Hardcastle. 

Quartermaster's Department. 

Captains James R. Irwin, Chief; Abraham C. Myers, Robert 
Allen, Henry Constantine Wayne, Justus McKinstry, George W. 
F. Wood, J. Daniels, O'Hara, Samuel McGo\yan. 

Subsistence Department. 

Captain John Breckinridge Grayson, Chief. 
Captain Thomas P. Randle. 

Pay Department. 

Major Edmund Kirby, Chief. 
" Abraham Van Buren. 
" Albert Gallatin Bennett. 

Medical Department. 

Surgeon-General Thomas Lawson ; Surgeons Benjamin Frank- 
lin Harney, Richard Smith Satterlee, Charles Stuart Tripler, 
Burton Randall, James Meek Cuyler ; Assistant Surgeons Alex- 
ander ¥. Suter, Josiah Simpson, David Camben De Leon, Henry 
H. Steiner, James Simons, Joseph K. Barnes, Levi H. Holden. 
Charles Carter Keeney, James Frazier Head, John Fox Hammond, 
Josephus M. Steiner, Charles P. Deyerle, Ebenezer Swift. Sur- 
geons J. M. Tyler, volunteer; McMillan, volunteer; Courtney J. 
Clark, volunteer ; W. B. Halstead, volunteer. Assistant Surgeons 
R. Hagan, volunteer ; H. L. W^heaton, volunteer. Surgeons R. 
Ritchie, First Volunteers ; J. Barry, First Volunteers ; Edwards, 
First Volunteers ; L. W. Jordan, First Volunteers ; R. McSherry, 
First Volunteers ; Roberts, First Volunteers. 

Corps. 

Colonel Harney's Brigade. 
Detachment of First Light Dragoons, Captain James Kearny. 
Detachment of Second Light Dragoons, Major Edwin Vose Sumner. 



252 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Detachment of Third Light Dragoons under Major Andrew 
Thomas McReynolds. 

I. Brevet Major-General Worth's Division. 

1. Colonel John Garland's Brigade. 
Second Regiment of Artillery, serving as infantry. 
Third 

Fourth " " Infantry. 

Duncan's P'ield Battery. 

2. Colonel Andrew Clark's Brigade. 
Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Regiments of Infantry. 

A Light Battery. 

II. Brevet Major-General Twiggs's Division. 
I. Brevet Brigadier-General Persifor F. Smith's Brigade. 

Rifle Regiment. 

First Regiment of Artillery, serving as infantry. 

Third Regiment of Infantry. 

Taylor's Light Battery. 

2. Colonel Bennet Riley's Brigade. 
Fourth Regiment of Artillery, serving as infantry. 
First Regiment of Infantry. 
Seventh Regiment of Infantry. 

III. Major-General Gideon J. Pillow's Division. 
I. Brigadier-General G. Cadwallader's Brigade. 

Voltigeurs. 

Eleventh and Fourteenth Infantry. 

A Light Battery. 

2. Brigadier-General Franklin Pierce's Brigade. 
Ninth, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Infantry. 

IV. Major-General John A. Quitman's Division. 

I. Brigadier-General Shields's Brigade. 
New York Volunteers. , 

South Carolina Volunteers. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 253 

2. Lieutenant-Colonel Watson's Brigade. 
A detachment of Second Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
A detachment of United States Marines. 

List of Officers of the Battalion of Marines under 
Command of Lieutenant-Colonel Watson. 

Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel E. Watson, Major Levi 
Twiggs, Major William Dulany. 

Staff. — First Lieutenant and Adjutant D. D, Baker, First 
Lieutenant and Acting Quartermaster John S. Devlin. 

Captains. — John G. Reynolds, George H. Terrett, and William 
Lang. 

First Lieutenants. — Jabez C. Rich, Robert C. Caldwell, Wil- 
liam L. Young, Thomas A. Brady, John D. Simms, and Daniel J. 
Sutherland. 

Second Lieutenants. — George Adams, E. McD. Reynolds, 
Thomas Y. Field, Charles G. McCawley, Freeman Norvell, 
Charles A. Henderson, John S. Nicholson, Augustus S. Nichol- 
son, and Henry Welsh. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Scott's care for the welfare of his army — Account of the money 
levied on Mexico — Last note to the Secretary of War while 
commander in chief in Mexico — Army asylums — Treaty of 
peace — Scott turns over the army to General William O. 
Butler — Scott and Worth — Court of inquiry on Worth — The 
" Leonidas " and " Tampico " letters — Revised paragraph 650 
— Army regulations — General Worth demands a court of in- 
quiry and prefers charges against Scott — Correspondence — 
General belief as to Scott's removal command — The trial — 
Return home of General Scott. 

As an army commander General Scott had fre- 
quent occasion to use money for which vouchers or 
even ordinary receipts could not be taken and the 
nature of the service could not be specified; he 
styled them " secret disbursements." In a letter to 
the War Department of February 6, 1848, he stated 
that he " had made no report of such disbursements 
since leaving Jalapa, (i) because of the uncertainty 
of our communications with Vera Cruz, and (2) the 
necessity of certain explanations which, on account 
of others, ought not to be reduced to writing," and 
added, " I have never tempted the honor or patriot- 
ism of any man, but have held it as lawful in morals 
as in war to purchase valuable information or serv- 
ices voluntarily tendered me." 

He charged himself with the money he received in 
Washington for '* secret disbursements," the one hun- 



I 



SETTLING ACCOUNTS. 



255 



dred and fifty thousand dollars levied upon the City 
of Mexico for the immediate benefit of the army, and 
of the captured tobacco taken from the Mexican 
Government, with other small sums, all of which 
were accounted for. He then charged himself with 
sixty-three thousand seven hundred and forty-five 
dollars and fifty-seven cents expended in the purchase 
of blankets and shoes distributed gratuitously to en- 
listed men, for ten thousand dollars extra supplies 
for the hospitals, ten dollars each to every crippled 
man discharged or furloughed, some sixty thousand 
dollars for secret services, including the native spy 
company of Dominguez, whose pay commenced in 
July, and which he did not wish to bring into ac- 
count with the Treasury. There remained a balance 
of one hundred thousand dollars, a draft for which 
he inclosed, saying: "I hope you will allow the 
draft to go to the credit of the army asylum, and 
make the subject known in the way you may deem 
best to the military committees of Congress. The 
sum is, in small part, the price of American blood so 
gallantly shed in this vicinity ; and considering that 
the army receives no prize money, I repeat the hope 
that its proposed destination may be approved and 
carried into effect. . . . The remainder of the 
money in my hands, as well as that expended, I shall 
be ready to account for at the proper time and in 
the proper manner, merely offering this imperfect 
report to explain, in the meantime, the character of 
the one hundred thousand dollars draft. 

On February 9, 1848, General Scott addressed what 
seems to have been his last note to the War Depart- 
ment as commander in chief of the army of Mexico. 
It is brief. He adverted to the fact of his not receiv- 



256 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



ing any communication from the War Department or 
adjutant general's office, and says: " But slips from 
newspapers and letters from Washington have come 
to interested parties here, representing, I learn, that 
the President has determined to place me before a 
court for daring to enforce necessary discipline in this 
army against certain of its high officers. I make 
only a passing comment upon these unofficial an- 
nouncements, learning with pleasure, through the 
same sources, that I am to be superseded by Major- 
General William O. Butler." The admirable recom- 
mendation in regard to the draft was adopted and 
carried out, and the money applied to the purchase 
of asylums for soldiers. 

There was not any general engagement of the 
armies after the capture of the City of Mexico. Gen- 
eral Lane, always vigilant, kept his force in constant 
motion, pursuing, engaging, when possible, and dis- 
persing the numerous predatory bands that infested 
his flanks and rear. 

The first efforts to agree upon a treaty of peace 
failed. Active operations were resumed, and so 
weakened Mexico that she was left no alternative 
but to make " peace such as her powerful and suc- 
cessful enemy might dictate." By the Constitution 
of Mexico the office of President in case of a vacancy 
devolved upon the president of the Supreme Court 
provisionally; but there was no president of the Su- 
preme Court in September, 1847, the last incumbent 
having died, and no successor having been elected 
when Santa Anna resigned. Congress, whose duty 
it was to elect this officer, could only be convened 
by proclamation of the President, but, as is seen, there 
was no President. In this unfortunate state of af- 



COMMISSIONER TRIST, 



257 



fairs, the most influential of the Moderado party, 
with the hope of preventing anarchy, then greatly 
threatened, if it had not already raised its head, and 
conclude terms of peace, prevailed upon Pena y Pena, 
an able and enlightened jurist, statesman, and pa- 
triot, and senior judge of the Supreme Court, to 
assume the provisional presidency. He was recog- 
nized by the State authorities, and pledges were 
given that they would uphold and defend it against 
all intriguers opposed to peace, through the non- 
existence of a government competent to make it. 
It was known that Pena was not averse to peace, 

Mr. Nicholas P. Trist, the commissioner on the 
part of the United States, upon the formation of the 
new Government, made propositions for a conference 
of representatives. Owing to the fact that the 
Mexican Congress had to be called together to elect 
a President ad interim to serve until January 8, 1848, 
the overtures of Mr. Trist could not be entertained. 
By a combination between the Puro party and the 
adherents of Santa Anna and other factions, the 
Moderado party came very near being defeated, but 
the latter were successful and elected General Don 
Pedro Maria kx\2,y2i ad interim President; and Pena 
y Pefia and General Mora y Villamil, both in favor 
of peace, were made respectively Minister of Foreign 
Relations and Minister of War. 

Negotiations were now again formally under- 
taken. The Mexican Government was represented 
by Senores Conto, Atristain, and Cuevas. The com- 
missioners of the respective countries met at Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo, three miles from the City of Mexico. 
After many meetings, long conferences, and discus- 
sions, a treaty of peace, friendships, and limits be- 



258 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



tween Mexico and the United States was concluded 
and signed February 2, 1848. 

A synopsis of the treaty is given. Some of the ar- 
ticles are given in full, as the fifth, which secured to 
the United States the great State of California with 
its incalculable wealth in mineral and agriculture 
resources, and the territory of New Mexico, also 
rich in all that Nature can yield. 

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, concluded February 2, 

1848. Ratifications exchanged at Queretaro, May 30, 

1848. Proclaimed July 4, 1848. 

The United States was represented by Nicholas 
P. Trist, and the Republic of Mexico was represented 
by Don Louis Gonzaga Cuevas, Don Bernardo Conto, 
and Don Miguel Atristain. 

"Article I. There shall be firm and universal 
peace between the United States of America and the 
Mexican Republic, and between respective countries, 
territories, cities, towns, and people, without excep- 
tion of places or persons. 

" Art. II provides that, immediately upon the sig- 
nature to this treaty, commissioners shall be ap- 
pointed by the commander in chief of the American 
forces and the Mexican Government for the pro- 
visional suspension of hostilities and the re-estab- 
lishment of the political, administrative, and judicial 
branches so far as this shall be permitted by the cir- 
cumstances of the case. 

"Art. III. Immediately upon the ratification of this 
treaty by the United States orders shall be issued to 
the commanders of the land and naval forces, requir- 
ing the latter (provided this treaty has been ratified 
by Mexico and ratifications exchanged) to imme- 



TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO. 



259 



diately desist from blockading any Mexican ports, and 
requiring the former (under tiie same conditions) to 
witlidraw ail troops of the United States then in the 
interior of the Mexican Republic to a distance from 
the seaport not exceeding thirty leagues — this to be 
done with the least possible delay ; and to deliver up 
all customhouses at all ports occupied by the forces 
of the United States to persons authorized by the 
Mexican Government to receive it, with all bonds 
and evidences of debt for duties on importations and 
exportations. An exact account to be rendered of 
all duties on imports and exports, after the ratifica- 
tion of this treaty by Mexico, deducting only the 
cost of collection. The City of Mexico to be evacu- 
ated within one month after the orders there stipu- 
lated shall be received by the commander of said 
troops. 

"Art. IV. Immediately after the ratifications of 
the present treaty all castles, forts, territories, places, 
and possessions shall be definitely restored to Mexi- 
co ; the final evacuation of the territory of Mexico 
shall be completed within three months, or sooner if 
possible, the Mexican Government engaging to use 
all means in its power to facilitate the same. All 
prisoners of war taken on sea or land to be restored, 
and all Mexicans held by savage tribes within the 
United States to be exacted from such tribes and re- 
stored to their country, 

" Art. V is given in full : 

" The boundary line between the two republics 
shall commence in the Gulf of Mexico, three leagues 
from land, opposite the mouth of the Rio Grande, 
otherwise called Rio Bravo del Norte, or opposite the 
mouth of its deepest branch, if it should have more 
18 • 



26o GENERAL SCOTT. 

than one branch emptying directly into the sea ; from 
thence up the middle of that river, following the 
deepest channel, where it has more than one, to the 
point where it strikes the southern boundary of New 
Mexico ; thence westwardly along the southern 
boundary of New Mexico (which runs north of the 
town called Paso) to its western termination ; thence 
northward along the western line of New Mexico 
until it intersects the first branch of the Rio Gila 
(or if it should not intersect any branch of that river, 
then to a point on said line nearest to said branch, 
and thence in a direct line to the same) ; thence down 
the middle of the said branch of said river until it 
empties into the Rio Colorado; thence across the 
Rio Colorado, following the division line between 
Upper and Lower California to the Pacific Ocean. 
The southern and western limits of New Mexico 
mentioned in this article are those laid down in the 
map entitled '-Map of the United Mexican States, as 
organized and defined by various acts of Co?igress of said 
republic, and constructed according to the best authorities. 
Revised edition. Published in New York, i?i 1841, h J- 
Disturnell '; of which map a copy is added to this 
treaty, bearing the signatures and seals of the under- 
signed plenipotentiaries. And in order to preclude 
all difficulty in tracing upon the ground limit sepa- 
rating Upper from Lower California, it is agreed that 
the said limit shall consist of a straight line drawn 
from the middle of the Rio Gila, where it unites with 
the Colorado, to a point on the coast of the Pacific 
Ocean distant one marine league due south of the 
southernmost point of the port of San Diego, accord- 
ing to the plan of said port made in 1782 by Don 
Juan Pantoja, second sailing master of the Spanish 



TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO. 261 

fleet, and published at Madrid in the year 1802, in 
the atlas to the voyage of said schooners Sutil and 
Mexicana ; of which plan a copy is hereunto added, 
signed and sealed by the respective plenipotentiaries. 

"In order to designate the boundary line with 
due precision upon authoritative maps, and to estab- 
lish upon the ground landmarks which shall show 
the limits of both republics, as described in the pres- 
ent article, the two governments shall each appoint 
a commissioner and surveyor, who, before the expira- 
tion of one year from the date of the exchange of 
ratifications of this treaty, shall meet at the port of 
San Diego and proceed to run and mark the said 
boundary in its whole course to the mouth of the 
Rio Bravo del Norte. They shall keep journals and 
make out plans of their operations ; and the result 
agreed upon by them shall be deemed a part of this 
treaty, and shall have the same force and effect as 
if inserted therein. The two governments will ami- 
cably agree regarding what may be necessary to 
these persons, and also as to their respective escorts, 
should such be necessary. 

" The boundary line established by this article 
shall be religiously respected by each of the two 
republics, and no change shall ever be made therein, 
except by the express and free consent of both na- 
tions lawfully given by the General Government of 
each in conformity with its own constitution. 

*'^RT. 6 gives citizens of the United States 
free navigation of the Gulf of California and the 
Rio Colorado below its confluence with the Gila. 

"Art. 7. The Rio Gila and the part of the Rio 
Bravo del Norte are made free for the navigation of 
vessels of both countries without tax. 



262 GENERAL SCOTT. 

" Art. 8. Mexicans to remain in the ceded 
territory if they choose to do so, or to remove at 
any time to the Mexican republic, retaining the prop- 
erty they possess in said territories, or disposing of 
the same and removing the same wherever they 
please. Those who remain in said territories may 
either retain the title and rights of Mexican citizens 
or acquire those of citizens of the United States; 
but they shall be under the obligation to make their 
election within one year from the date of the ex- 
change of ratifications of this treaty ; and those who 
shall remain in said territories after the expiration 
of that year, without having declared their intention 
to retain the character of Mexicans, shall be con- 
sidered to have elected to become citizens of the 
United States. Property in those territories belong- 
ing to Mexicans shall be inviolably respected, and 
the present owners and their heirs and those who 
have acquired the same shall enjoy the same, as if it 
belonged to citizens of the United States. 

• "Art. 9. Mexicans who do not declare them- 
selves citizens of Mexico shall be incorporated in 
and become citizens of the United States under such 
regulations as shall be provided by law. 

"Art. 10 of the treaty was stricken out. 

"Art. II. The United States undertakes to de- 
liver up, if possible, any Mexicans that may be cap- 
tured by any of the savage tribes within the ceded 
territory ; and to prevent purchasing any property 
from any Mexican while in capture by the Indians; 
nor to purchase any property of any kind stolen 
within Mexican territory by such Indians. 

"Art. 12. In consideration of the extension ac- 
quired by the boundaries of the United States, as 



TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO. 



263 



defined by the fifth article of the present treaty, the 
Government of the United States engages to pay to 
that of the Mexican republic the sum of fifteen mil- 
lions of dollars, and prescribes the manner and times 
of payment. 

"Art. 13. The United States assumes the pay- 
ment of all claims now due and those hereafter to 
become due by reason of claims already liquidated 
against Mexico under the treaties of April 11, 1839, 
and January 30, 1843. 

" Art. 14. The United States discharges Mexico 
from all claims of citizens of the United States 
against said republic. 

"Art. 15 provides for the appointment of a 
board of commissioners to adjudicate all claims 
against Mexico, the United States assuming the pay- 
ment of such as may be allowed ; the Mexican Gov- 
ernment agreeing to furnish such books, papers, etc., 
as may be deemed necessary as evidence. 

" Art. 16. The right of both parties to fortify 
any point in its territory it may deem proper. 

" Art. 17. The treaty of April 5, 1831, and its pro- 
visions not inconsistent with this treaty, revived. 

"Art. 18. All supplies for troops of the United 
States shall be exempt from duties or charges of any 
kind; the United States engaging to prevent mer- 
chandise and goods from being landed, under cover 
of this article, not intended for the army. 

"Art. 19. General provisions in regard to mer- 
chandise imported into Mexico during hostilities. 

" Art. 20 provides what disposition shall be 
made of merchandise arriving in Mexico, if the cus- 
tomhouses shall be delivered up less than sixty days 
from the signatures to this treaty. 



264 GENERAL SCOTT. 

"Art. 21. If disagreements should arise between 
the two countries, every effort will be made to ad- 
just the same peaceably ; and failing in that, the sub- 
ject-matter of dispute shall be referred to arbitration. 

"Art. 22 provides what shall be done with the 
citizens of either country residing in the other, should 
war unhappily break out between the two republics. " 

The treaty was given to a trusty messenger, dis- 
patched to Vera Cruz, and the general commanding 
at that point was ordered to forward it immediately 
by the swiftest steamer in the harbor. The general 
requested, in case the treaty was accepted and rati- 
fied, that he be instructed as early as practicable in 
regard to evacuating Mexico, and the disposition to 
be made of the wagons, artillery, and cavalry horses, 
and the points in the United States to which the 
troops should be ordered, and hoped the troops could 
leave Mexico before the return of the vomito, which 
would probably be in May. 

It had been rumored in the army for several 
weeks that General Scott was to be superseded in 
com.mand, and he announced the fact in the follow- 
ing order: 

" Headquarters of the Army, 

" Mexico, February 18, 1848. 
*' General Orders No. 59. 

" By instruction from the President of the United 
States just received, Major-General Scott turns over 
the command of the army to Major-General Butler, 
who will immediately enter upon duty accordingly. 
In taking leave of the troops he has so long had the 
command of in an arduous campaign, a small part of 
whose glory has been from position reflected on the 
senior officer, Major-General Scott is happy to be re- 



GENERAL BUTLER IN COMMAND. 



265 



lieved by a general of established merit and distinc- 
tion in the service of his country. 
" By command of General Scott. 

" H. L. Scott, 
'"''Acting Assistant Adjutant General^ 

There was nothing for General Butler to do but 
wait the action of the United States on the treaty 
that had been forwarded, and then evacuate the 
Mexican territory. As has been seen, ratifications of 
the treaty were exchanged at Queretaro May 30, 
1848, and proclaimed July 4, 1848. 

Although General Worth had served with Gen- 
eral Scott as his aid, and the most friendly rela- 
tions had heretofore existed between them, circum- 
stances occurred in May and June, 1847, that caused 
an estrangement between them which was never 
healed. On June 16, 1847, General Worth issued a 
circular at Peublo of the following purport : " In- 
telligence has come to the headquarters of this divi- 
sion, in a form and from sources entitled to consid- 
eration, that food exhibited, and, in tempting form, for 
sale to the soldiers, is purposely prepared to cause 
sickness and ultimately death " ; and he appealed to 
every soldier to forbear the procurement or use of 
such food, as ample rations were issued, and added : 
" Doubtless there are among those with whom we 
are situated many who will not hesitate, as is the 
habit of cowards, to poison those from whom they 
habitually fly in battle — a resource familiar in Span- 
ish history, legitimately inherited and willingly prac- 
ticed in Mexico." 

General Scott had animadverted upon the terms 
granted by Worth to the functionaries of the city of 



266 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Puebla, about May 15, 1847, and strongly censured 
the circular referred to. These reproofs induced 
General Worth to call for a court of inquiry, which 
was ordered to convene June 17, 1847, at 10 o'clock 
A. M. The court met, and General Worth submitted a 
statement of the matters in which he deemed himself 
wronged by the general in chief, and to which he in- 
vited investigation. The court gave the matters be- 
fore it careful consideration on the evidence ad- 
duced and the documents submitted, and pronounced 
their opinions. The court found nothing in the re- 
marks of the general in chief in regard to General 
Worth's terms to the functionaries of Puebla to 
which he [Worth] could take exception ; " that the 
terms or stipulations granted by Brevet Major-Gen- 
eral Worth to the functionaries of the city of Pu- 
ebla upon his entrance with his advance of the army 
on the 15th of May last were unnecessarily yielded, 
improvident, and in effect detrimental to the public 
service," and continues: "The court, as required, 
further declares its opinion that the 'circular' pub- 
lished by Brevet Major-General Worth to his divi- 
sion, dated Puebla, June 16, 1847, was highly im- 
proper and extremely objectionable in many re- 
spects, especially as it might tend, by exasperating 
the whole Mexican nation, to thwart the well-known 
pacific policy of the United States, and, in view of 
the high source from which it emanated, to disturb 
the friendly relations of our Government with Spain, 
or at least give occasion to that power to call for 
explanations or apologies. The barbarous ottense 
against which that 'circular' warned the soldiers of 
the First Division, if it exists at all, equally affected 
the whole army. The information obtained by Gen- 



THE LEONIDAS LETTER. 267 

eral Worth, if worthy of notice, should therefore 
have been communicated to the general in chief, that 
he might have exercised his discretion on the means 
to be adopted for correcting the evil. With these 
views of the 'circular' alluded to the court is of 
the opinion that it called for the ' emphatic admoni- 
tion ' and rebuke of the general in chief." 

About two months after the occupation of the 
City of Mexico by the United States forces 'a mail 
arrived from the States. It was found that two let- 
ters written from the valley a few days after the bat- 
tles of Contreras and Churubusco had been published 
in the newspapers. One of them, published in the New 
Orleans Delta, was known as the " Leonidas letter," 
and gave to General Pillow nearly all the credit for 
winning these important battles, and placed him on 
a plane of military genius far above the facts, as 
was understood by parties present. Among other 
thmgs the letter said : " He [Pillow] evinced on 
this, as he had on other occasions, that masterly 
military genius and profound knowledge of the sci- 
ence of war which has astonished the mere martinets 
oftheprofession. His plan was very similar to that 
by which Napoleon effected the reduction of the 
fortress of Ulm, and General Scott was so perfectly 
well satisfied with it that he could not interfere with 
any part of it, but left it to the gallant projector to 
carry into glorious and successful execution." 

The " Tampico letter," as the other letter was 
called, is given in full : 

"Tacubaya, Mexico, August 2y, 1847. 
" The whole force which moved from Puebla, 
amounting to ten thousand, more or less, marched in 



268 GENERAL SCOTT. 

four columns on successive days, in the following 
order, viz. : Twiggs, Quitman, Worth, and Pillow. 
In approaching the City of Mexico by the main high- 
way you go directly on to Penon, which is a strong 
position, exceedingly well fortified. Before leaving 
Puebla, it had been considered whether the main 
road can not be avoided and El Penon turned by 
passing around to the south and left of Lakes Chalco 
and Xochimilco. The engineer officers serving im- 
mediately at general headquarters had questioned a 
number of persons, including spies and agents sent 
expressly to examine the route, and the mass of 
testimony was entire to the boggy, mucky, and per- 
fectly impracticable character for wagons and ar- 
tillery of the road leading in that direction. It was 
therefore in contemplation to turn Penon by forcing 
Mexicalcinzo, although the ground was difficult and 
the batteries known to be numerous. This route, 
you will observe, is to the north and right of the 
lakes. The reconnoissances of the engineers were 
consequently directed to this end. In the meantime 
General Worth, whose division had been left at 
Chalco, while General Scott, with Twiggs, had gone 
to Ayotla, sent Colonel Duncan with a large party to 
examine the denounced route. 

" Colonel Duncan found it just the reverse of what 
it had been pronounced to be ; it was firm, rocky, 
and quite practicable, requiring, to be sure, a little 
labor here and there. General Worth instantly sent 
Colonel Duncan with this information to General 
Scott, and urged the movement of the whole army 
to the left of Lake Chalco. The direct attack was 
abandoned, and on the morning the whole army was 
in motion." 



ORDER OF SECRETARY OF WAR. 



269 



Owing to a letter written by General Taylor 
to General Gaines, which was intended to be private 
and confidential, finding its way into the New York 
Morning Express, the Secretary of War issued the 
following : 

" War Department, Washington, January 28, 1847. 

" The President of the United States directs that 
paragraph 650 of the General Regulations of the 
Army, established the ist of March, 1825, and not in- 
cluded among those published January 25, 1841, be 
now published, and its observance, as a part of the 
general regulations, be strictly enjoined upon the 
army. 

" By order of the President. 

" W. L. Marcy, Secretary of War." 

The following is the paragraph referred to and 
ordered to be " published " : 

" Private letters or reports relative to military 
movements and operations are frequently mischie- 
vous in design, and always disgraceful to the army. 
They are therefore strictly forbidden, and any of- 
ficer found guilty of making such report for publica- 
tion, without special permission, or of placing the 
writing beyond his control, so that it finds its way 
to the press within one month after the termination 
of the campaign to which it relates, shall be dis- 
missed from the service.' 

Upon the appearance in print of the two letters 
referred to, the commanding general issued the fol- 
lowing: 



2/0 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



" Headquarters of the Army, 

" Mexico, November 12, 1847. 
" General Orders No. 349. 

"The attention of certain officers of this army is 
recalled to the foregoing — 650th paragraph, 1,825 
regulations — a regulation prohibiting officers of the 
army from detailing in private letters or reports the 
movements of the army, which the general in chief 
is resolved to enforce so far as it may be in his 
power. As yet but two echoes from home of the 
brilliant operations of our army in this basin have 
reached us — the first in a New Orleans and the 
second through a Tampico newspaper. 

" It requires not a little charity to believe that the 
principal heroes of the scandalous letters alluded to 
did not write them, or especially procure them to 
be written ; and the intelligent can be at no loss in 
conjecturing the authors, chiefs, partisans, and pet 
familiars. To the honor of the service, the disease — 
pruriency of fame not earned — can not have seized 
upon half a dozen officers present, all of whom, it is 
believed, belonged to the same two coteries. 

" False credit may no doubt be attained at hand 
by such despicable self-puffings and malignant ex- 
clusion of others, but at the expense of the just 
esteem and consideration of all honorable officers 
who love their country, their profession, and the 
truth of history. The indignation of the great num- 
ber of the latter class can not fail in the end to 
bring down the conceited and envious to their proper 
level." 

The day after the publication of the above Gen- 
eral Orders General Worth forwarded to army head- 
quarters a communication in which he said : 



GENERAL ORDERS NO. 349. 2J\ 

" I learn with much astonishment that the pre- 
vaiHng opinion in this army points the imputationf 
of '■ scandalous ' contained in the third, and the in- 
vocation of the ' indignation of the great number ' 
in the fourth paragraph of Orders No. 349, printed 
and issued yesterday, to myself as one of the officers 
alluded to. Although I can not suppose those opin- 
ions to be correctly formed, nevertheless, regarding 
the high source from which such imputations flow, 
so seriously affecting the qualities of a gentleman, 
the character and usefulness of him at whom they may 
be aimed, I feel it incumbent on me to ask, as I do 
now most respectfully, of the frankness and justice 
of the commander in chief, whether in any sense or 
degree he condescended to apply, or designed to 
have applied, the epithets contained in that order to 
myself, and consequently whether the general mili- 
tary opinion or sentiment in that matter has taken 
a right or intended direction. I trust I shall be 
pardoned for pressing with urgency an early reply to 
this communication." 

On the day General Worth addressed his commu- 
nication to General Scott, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 
James Duncan wrote to the editor of the North 
American (a newspaper published in the City of 
Mexico in English), in which he avowed that the 
substance of the *' Tampico letter" was communi- 
cated by him to a friend in Pittsburg from Tacu- 
baya soon after the battles, and added : " The state- 
ments in the letter are known by very many officers 
of this army to be true, and I can not but think that 
the publication of the truth is less likely to do vio- 
lence to individuals or to the service than the sup- 
pression of it." He states that justice to General 



272 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Worth, who was evidently one of the persons pointed 
at in Orders No. 349, requires h*im [Duncan] to state 
that he [General Worth] knew nothing of the writer's 
purpose in writmg the letter in question ; that Gen- 
eral Worth never saw it, and did not know, directly 
or indirectly, even the purport of one line, word, or 
syllable of it until he saw it in print ; that this letter 
was not inspired by General Worth, but that both the 
" Tampico letter " — or rather the private letter to his 
friend which formed the basis of that letter — and this 
were written on his own responsibility. 

On November 14, 1847, General Scott acknowl- 
edged General Worth's letter of the 13th, and said: 
" The General Order No. 349 was, as is pretty clearly 
expressed on its face, meant to apply to the letter 
signed ' Leonidas ' in a New Orleans paper, and to 
the summary of two letters given in the Washington 
Union and copied into a Tampico paper, to the au- 
thors, aiders, and abettors of those letters, be they 
who they may." 

It may be well questioned if an officer has a right 
to demand of his superior in command whether or not 
certain expressions used in written orders apply to 
him. If one officer could claim this privilege another 
also could, until every officer in the command had 
interrogated the commanding officer as to the inten- 
tion of words used in general orders. To comment 
upon and disapprove or censure the official acts of 
his subordinates is not only a privilege of the com- 
manding general, but an obligation, for the main- 
tenance of discipline and the morale of the army. 

But any officer aggrieved by any censure or dis- 
approval may demand a court of inquiry, which 
General Worth did in a letter dated November 14, 



GENERAL SCOTT TO GENERAL WORTH. 



VI 



1847, addressed to General Scott, in which he says: 
*' I have the honor to receive your letter in reply, but 
not in answer to mine of yesterday, handed in this 
morning. The General Order is too clearly expressed 
on its face to admit of any doubt in regard to papers, 
and, in public military opinion, in regard to persons. 
The object of my letter, as I endeavored clearly to 
express, was to seek to know distinctly, and with a 
view to further measures to protect myself, if, as is 
supposed, I was one of the persons referred to. Re- 
gretting the necessity for intrusion, I am compelled 
again respectfully to solicit an answer to that ques- 
tion. I ask it as an act of simple justice, which it is 
hoped will not be denied." 

To this General Scott replied through his assist- 
ant adjutant general [H. L. Scott], November 14, 
1847, "that he [General Scott] can not be more ex- 
plicit than in his reply through me already given ; 
that he has nothing to do with the suspicions of 
others, and has no positive information as to the au- 
thorship of the letters alluded to in General Orders 
No. 349. If he had valid information he would im- 
mediately prosecute the parties before a general 
court-martial." 

The correspondence on this subject was termi- 
nated by General Worth in the following letter : 

" Headquarters First Division, 

" Mexico, November 14, 1847. 
" Sir : It is due to official courtesy and propriety 
that I acknowledge your letter No. 2, in answer to 
mine of this date ; and in doing so, and in closing this 
correspondence with the headquarters of the army, 
I beg permission to say, and with regret, that I have 



274 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



received no satisfactory answer to the just and right- 
ful inquiries which I have addressed to the general 
in chief; but inasmuch as I know myself to be deep- 
ly aggrieved and wronged, it only remains to go by 
appeal, as I shall do through the prescribed channels, 
to the constitutional commander in chief. 

" The general in chief is pleased to say through 
you that he has nothing to do with the suspicion of 
others, and that he has no positive information as to 
authorship, etc., granted. But has not the manner 
in which the general in chief has been pleased to 
treat the case established — whether designedly or not 
remains to be seen — an equivocal public sentiment on 
the subject ? There are always enough of that pecul- 
iar pestilential species who exist upon the breath of 
authority to catch up the whisperings of fancy and in- 
fect a whole military community. I do not design 
to be stifled under the miasma of such, nor stricken 
down in my advanced age, without an effort to con- 
vmce my friends that I scorn to wear ' honor not 
earned.' Your obedient servant, 

" W. J. Worth, Brevet Major General.''' 

Following this, General Worth prepared the fol- 
lowing communication, and sent it to army head- 
quarters: 

" Headquarters First Division, November i6 1847. 
" To the Honorable Secretary of War, Washington : 

" Sir : From the arbitrary and illegal conduct, 
the malice and gross injustice, practiced by the gen- 
eral officer, commanding in chief, this army, Major- 
General Winfield Scott, I appeal (as is my right and 
privilege) to the constitutional commander in chief, 
the President of the United States. I accuse Major- 



LETTER OF GENERAL WORTH. 



275 



General Winfield Scott of having acted in a manner 
unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. He has 
availed himself of his position to publish by author- 
ity to the army which he commands, and of the in- 
fluence of his station to give the highest effect to an 
order bearing date November 12, 1847, and num- 
bered 349 — official printed copy herewith — calculated 
and designed to cast odium and disgrace upon Bre- 
vet Major-General Worth ; to bring that general 
officer into disrepute with the army, to lessen, if not 
destroy, his just influence and proper authority with 
those officers over whom he is placed in command; 
that he has, without inquiry or investigation, in the 
said order published to the army and the world, false- 
ly charged Brevet Major-General Worth with having 
written, or connived at the writing, a certain letter 
published in the United States, and to which he has 
been pleased to apply the epithet of ' scandalous,' 
'malignant,' etc. ; that he has made these statements 
to the world, giving to them the sanction of his high 
authority and the influence of his position, while he 
has had no information as to the authorship of the 
letters in question ; and when respectfully and prop- 
erly addressed upon the subject by the undersigned 
appellant, he has declined to reply whether or not he 
intended to impute to Brevet Major-General Worth 
conduct which he had characterized as ' scandalous,' 
' malignant,' etc. ; be pleased to refer to correspond- 
ence herewith marked from A to E. I do not urge 
present action on these accusations, because of their 
inconvenience to the service in withdrawing many 
officers from their duties, but I do humbly and re- 
spectfully invoke the President's examination into 
the case, and such notice thereof and protection from 
19 



2;6 GENERAL SCOTT. 

arbitrary conduct of said Major-General Scott as he 
may deem suitable. 

'• I have the honor to be, etc., 

"W. J. Worth, 
" Brevet Major General, U fitted States Army.'' 

Upon receipt of the above communication at 
General Scott's headquarters, General Worth was 
placed under arrest and charged ** with behaving 
with contempt and disrespect toward his command- 
ing officer," or words to that effect ; and the specifica- 
tion to the charge was to the following effect : " Un- 
der pretext of appeal he charged his commanding 
officer to be actuated by malice toward him [Worth] 
and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman." 

It must have been under a painful stress of duty 
that General Scott preferred charges against General 
Worth; they had been friends for over thirty years, 
and the latter had been aid-de-camp to the former. 
Worth was the first general officer ordered from Gen- 
eral Taylor's army to report to General Scott on his 
arrival in Mexico. 

It was shown that General Pillow had given a 
written account of the battles of Contreras and 
Churubusco to the correspondent of a newspaper 
about August 25th, expressing a desire that it should 
go off with first impressions and form a part of the 
correspondent's letter. The general told the corre- 
spondent he had prepared it for him. The latter ex- 
amined the paper submitted by the general, found it 
incorrect in many details, and did not send it as re- 
quested. When, however, the mail from New Orleans 
brought the newspaper with the " Leonidas letter," 
the correspondent compared the letter with the 



GENERAL PILLOW ARRESTED. 



277 



memorandum or statement given him by Pillow and 
pronounced them almost identical. 

The arrest of General Pillow was ordered. He 
was charged : i. With a violation of a general regu- 
lation or standing order of the army. 2. With con- 
duct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. 

The specification to the first charge was, that he 
[Pillow] wrote or caused to be written an account of 
military operations between the United States forces 
and those of the Republic of Mexico, August 19, 
1847, in and about Contreras and Churubusco, in 
which operations said Pillow bore a part, and which 
account was designed by said Pillow and in due 
time, over the signature of " Leonidas," partially 
printed and published in the New Orleans Delta of 
September 10, 1847, and reprmted entire in the Bulle- 
tin and the Daily Picayune of the 15th and i6th of 
the same month, all this pending the campaign be- 
tween the forces before mentioned. There were 
eight different specifications to the second charge, 
and under the first there were eight different items 
or headings. The specifications cover eleven printed 
pages. Their substance and effect was that General 
Pillow's account was not correct in the very many 
particulars specified.* 

Colonel Duncan was charged : i. With violation 
of the 650th paragraph (revised). General Regulations 
of the Army; and the specification cited the " Tam- 
pico letter," which he confessed to have written. 
The second charge had relation solely to matters of 
fact set forth in the " Tampico letter." 

On January 13, 1848, the Secretary of War ad- 

* See Ex. Doc. No. 65, Thirtieth Congress, first session. 



278 GENERAL SCOTT. 

dressed a communication to General Scott in which he 
said: ^' The President has determined to relieve you 
from further duty as commanding general in Mexico. 
You are therefore ordered by him to turn over the 
command of the army to Major-General Butler, or, 
in his absence, to the officer highest in rank with the 
column under you, together with all instructions you 
have received in relation to your operations and 
duties as general in chief command, and all records 
and papers properly belonging or appertaining to 
general headquarters. 

'' Desirous to secure a full examination into all 
matters embraced in the several charges which you 
have presented against Major-General Pillow and 
Brevet Colonel Duncan, as well as the charges or 
grounds of complaint presented against you by Bre- 
vet Major-General Worth, and deeming your presence 
before the court of inquiry which has been organ- 
ized to investigate these matters indispensably neces- 
sary for this purpose, you are directed by the Presi- 
dent to attend the said court of inquiry wherever 
it may hold its sittings ; and when your presence be- 
fore or attendance upon the court shall no longer be 
required, and you are notified of that fact by the 
court, you will report in person at this department 
for further orders." 

General Scott while in Puebla had asked to be re- 
lieved from command of the army because of the 
want of sympathy and support of the home Govern- 
ment. He thought active operations would cease 
in November, and the passage through Vera Cruz 
would be safe by that date. The Secretary, in reply 
to this request of General Scott, said : 

" Regarding the inducement you have assigned 



SECRETARY OF WAR'S LETTER. 



279 



for begging to be recalled as deserving to have very- 
little influence on the question, it will be decided by 
the President with exclusive reference to the public 
good. When that shall render it proper in his opinion 
to withdraw you from your present command, his 
determination to do so will be made known to you." 

And further : 

" The perusal of these communications by the 
President has forced upon his mind the painful con- 
viction that there exists a state of things at the head- 
quarters of the army which is exceedingly detrimen- 
tal to the public service, and imperiously calls upon 
him to interfere in such a way as will, he sincerely 
hopes, arrest and put an end to the dissensions and 
feuds which there prevail. . . . The documents show 
that General Worth felt deeply aggrieved by your 
General Order No. 349. . . . With this view of the 
import and object of the order, his attempt by all 
proper means to remove from himself the ignominy 
of these imputations can not be regarded as an ex- 
ceptionable course on his part. If he was actually 
aggrieved in this matter, or believed himself to be so, 
he had an unquestionable right to have the subject 
brought to the consideration of his and your com- 
mon superior — the President. He prepared charges 
against you, for his letter of November i6th to the 
Secretary of War can be viewed in no other charac- 
ter, and endeavored to send them through you, the 
only channel he could use without violating estab- 
lished regulations to his common superior. . . . Gen- 
eral Worth having preferred charges against General 
Scott before the latter preferred charges against him, 
both law and natural justice require that the order 
of events should be pursued in such cases. The 



280 GENERAL SCOTT. 

charges which he prefers against you should be first 
disposed of before proceedings can be instituted 
against him for malice in preferring charges, or for 
presenting such as he did know or believe to be well 
founded." 

The President was evidently laboring under a 
misapprehension in regard to the condition of affairs 
at the headquarters of the army. Everything was 
quiet, industry prevailed, and constant watchfulness 
for the comfort of the men of his command was be- 
ing observed by the general in chief. The public 
interests under his charge received his constant care. 
No feuds were known to the army, and it was ex- 
pected that if there was anything done by the Presi- 
dent it would be to sustain the commanding general. 
At the time the order was issued relieving General 
Scott, both Generals Quitman and Shields were in 
Washington, but they were not consulted by the 
President or Secretary of War. General Quitman 
wrote from Washington to his aid. Lieutenant Chris- 
topher S. Lovell : " You are long since informed of 
the course the War Department has thought fit to 
pursue in relation to the difficulties between some of 
the generals. Though General Shields and myself 
were at Washington when the information came, we 
were not consulted." 

It was believed by a large number of persons 
both in and out of the army that considerations of 
public good had not in themselves caused the Presi- 
dent to relieve General Scott from command of the 
army. It was well known that his political opinions 
were not in harmony with the Administration, while 
those of his successor were. There had been any- 
thing but that amenity which should exist between a 



PILLOW COURT-MARTIAL. 28 1 

commissioner to negotiate a treaty of peace and the 
commanding general. General Scott did not think 
that Mr. Trist treated him with the consideration his 
position required — rejecting all overtures on the 
part of the general. General Scott ascribes Trist's 
conduct to sickness, which is throwing the mantle of 
charity over a series of slights amounting almost to 
insults, which a general less solicitous for the cause 
he was engaged in, and less regardful of his coun- 
try's good, would have resented in a manner that 
would have produced a crisis detrimental to the in- 
terests of the Government. 

General Scott, commander in chief, being the ac- 
cuser, and Pillow, Worth, and Duncan the defend- 
ants, the duty devolved upon the President to ap- 
point the court, which he did, composed of Brigadier- 
General Nathan Towson, paymaster general, Briga- 
dier-General Caleb Gushing, and Brevet Colonel 
William G. Belknap, with Captain S. C. Ridgely, 
judge advocate and recorder. 

The court organized and adjourned to the City 
of Mexico, where it met March 16, 1848, all the 
members present, the judge advocate and recorder. 
General Pillow was also in attendance. No objec- 
tion being made to any member of the court, they 
were duly sworn. General Scott then read a paper, 
from which the following extracts are made : 

'' Having, in the maintenance of what I deemed 
necessary discipline, drawn up charges and specifica- 
tions against three officers then under my command, 
I transmitted the papers November 28, 1847, to the 
Secretary of War, with a request in each case that 
the President, under the act of May 29, 1830, would 
appoint a general court-martial for the trial of the 



282 GENERAL SCOTT. 

same. This court of inquiry is the result. I am 
stricken down from high command ; one of the ar- 
rested generals is pre-acquitted and rewarded, and of 
the other parties, the judge and his prisoners, the 
accuser and the accused, the innocent and the guilty, 
with that strange exception, all thrown before you 
to scramble for justice as we may. 

" In the case of Major-General Pillow I preferred 
two charges : the first with one specification, respect- 
ing a prohibited publication in the newspapers of the 
United States, and the second embracing a great 
number of specifications. 

" Considering, Mr. President, that I asked for a 
general court-martial to try and definitely determine 
cases specifically defined and set out, and that this 
preliminary court has no power beyond the mere 
collection of facts and giving an inoperative opinion 
thereon ; considering that, if we now proceed, the 
whole labor must be gone over again at least by the 
parties and witnesses ; considering that the court 
will be obliged to adjourn to the United States in 
order to have the least hope of obtaining the testi- 
mony of these important witnesses, now retired to 
civil life, and therefore not compellable to attend a 
military court even at home, or to testify before a 
commission duly appointed by such courts, and the 
parties will not be able to leave this country for 
home without peril of life. Considering that there 
is a near prospect of peace between the United 
States and Mexico, which may be consummated 
in time to enable this whole army to return home 
at once in safety ; considering immediately, on such 
consummation, that Major-General Pillow would, 
by express terms of the law under which he holds 



THE TAMPICO LETTER. 



283 



his commission, be out of the army, and therefore 
no longer amenable for his acts to an)^ military- 
tribunal ; considering that, in preferring the charges 
against that officer, I was moved solely by the 
desire to preserve the discipline and honor of the 
army, not having even had the slightest personal 
quarrel or difficulty with him, and that the time 
had probably gone by for benefiting the service 
by a conviction and punishment — in view of these 
circumstances, I shall, Mr. President, decline prose- 
cuting the charges and specifications against Major- 
General Pillow before this preliminary court, with- 
out its special orders, or further orders from the 
President of the United States." 

In total disregardof the charges preferred against 
General Worth by the commanding general, the 
President ordered him to be released from arrest 
and restored to his command. General Worth, con- 
sidering that the President had done him " full and 
ample justice," withdrew his charges against Gen- 
eral Scott; to which the latter said that he "felt 
strong in conscious rectitude, strong in all the means 
of defense, defied his accusers, and would not plead 
the letter withdrawing the accusations against him 
in bar of trial ; that he challenged the writer of that 
letter to come forward and do his worst." 

Colonel Duncan having admitted that he had 
written the " Tampico letter," thus pleading guilty 
to violating the army regulations, and the President 
having ordered a court of inquiry and not a court- 
martial, General Scott declined to prosecute him 
before this court or a court-martial without express 
orders from the President. General Scott considered 
that it was not for him to attempt to uphold a 



284 GENERAL SCOTT. 

regulation which the President had revived and 
then disregarded. While Colonel Duncan no doubt 
believed all he had written to be true, the evidence 
of Colonel H. L. Scott, assistant adjutant general 
of the army. Colonel Hitchcock, and Captain Lee 
shows that the direct attack, or that by Mexical- 
cingo, was never decided upon. 

General Scott was informed that the court of 
inquiry would probably adjourn to await further 
orders from the Government. To prevent this de- 
lay, he [Scott] consented to prosecute the case of 
General Pillow. With a probability of peace and 
the disbanding of the army, it was almost certain 
that there never would be a trial by court-martial 
should such a court be recommended. 

On March 21st the investigation before the court 
of inquiry commenced in the City of Mexico and 
continued until April 21st, when the court, as Gen- 
eral Scott had predicted, adjourned to the United 
States for the purpose of obtaining further testi- 
mony, and reassembled in Frederick, Md., May 29, 
1848. General Pillow did not appear until June 5th, 
when General Scott was also present. The latter 
had been detained by sickness, and General Pillow 
had stopped in Tennessee to visit his family. 

On July ist General Scott submitted the follow- 
ing paper to the court, and withdrew the charges 
against Colonel Duncan : 

*'The reason given for withdrawing the first 
charge was, that the President seemed indisposed to 
enforce the revised paragraph 650, which he had 
ordered to be published, and enjoined all to obey 
and enforce. 

'' In regard to the second charge and specification, 



CHARGES AGAINST DUNCAN. 285 

relating to matters of fact set forth in the * Tampico 
letter,' and which Colonel Duncan had acknowledged 
over his own signature he had written, General 
Scott, believing that Colonel Duncan had fallen un- 
designedly into erroneous statements of fact in the 
letter, sent an officer to ask him if he was not igno- 
rant, at the time of writing the letter, 

" I. That before the army left Pueblo for the val- 
ley his [Scott's] bias and expectation were that the 
army would be obliged to reach the enemy's capital 
by the left or south around Lakes Chalco and Xochi- 
milco. 

" 2. That after his headquarters were established 
at Ayotla, August nth, he [Scott] had shown equal 
solicitude to get additional information of that route, 
as well as that of Penon or Mexicalcingo. 

"3. That besides sending from Ayotla, August 
i2th, oral instructions to Brevet Major-General 
Worth to push further inquiries from Chalco as to 
the character of the southernmost route around the 
two lakes, he [Scott] had sent written instructions to 
General Worth to the same effect from his quarters 
at Ayotla.* 

"4. That while at Ayotla, from the nth to the 
15th of August, he [Scott] sent a Mexican from 
Ayotla, independent of General Worth, all around 
the village of Xochimilco to report to him [Scott] 
whether there had been any recent change in the 



* General Worth wrote to Colonel Duncan from Tacubaya, 
March 31, 1848 : "General Scott evinced a disposition to gather 
information as respected this route (Chalco) on the 12th. . . . 
As I have said, General Scott directed m.e to send and examine 
the Chalco route," etc. 



286 GENERAL SCOTT. 

route, either in the matter of fortifications or from 
overflowing of the lakes. 

"5. That in the evening of the 13th he [Scott] 
had ordered Captain Mason, of the engineers, to 
report to General Worth the next morning, to be 
employed in reconnoitering that same southern route, 
in which service he had already been anticipated by 
the reconnoitering party under himself — Colonel 
Duncan." 

The officer was authorized to say that if Colonel 
Duncan would state that he was ignorant of these 
facts, he would withdraw and abandon, upon his 
word, the second charge and specification. 

To this Colonel Duncan replied that he "believed 
the facts therein (" Tampico letter") set forth to be 
substantially true, and still believed so ; had no de- 
sire to detract directly or indirectly from the merits 
of any officer, and no one could regret more than him- 
self if he had done so. If the statements of General 
Scott were facts, he learned them for the first time, 
and was ignorant of them when he wrote the * Tam- 
pico letter.' " General Scott's reply was that " ample 
evidence, both oral and written, was at hand to sub- 
stantiate his averments in respect to the route around 
Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco." He then withdrew 
the second charge against Colonel Duncan. 

Following is the opinion of the court of inquiry 
in General Pillow's case : 

" On reviewing the whole case, it will be seen that 
the points on which the conduct of General Pillow 
has been disapproved by the court are his claiming in 
certain passages of the paper No. i " (the letter he 
gave Mr. Freuner, correspondent of the New Orleans 
Delta, and which had been pronounced a twin broth- 



GENERAL PILLOW. 28/ 

er to the " Leonidas letter"), "and in his official 
report of the battles of Contreras and Churubusco, a 
larger degree of participation in the merit of the 
movements appertaining to the battle of Contreras 
than is substantiated by the evidence, or he is en- 
titled to, and also the language above quoted, in 
which that claim is referred to in the letter to Gen- 
eral Scott. 

" But as the movements actually ordered by Gen- 
eral Pillow at Contreras on the 19th were emphatic- 
ally approved by General Scott at the time, and as 
the conduct of General Pillow in the brilliant series 
of military operations carried on to such triumphant 
issue by General Scott in the Valley of Mexico ap- 
pears by the several official reports of the latter, and 
otherwise, to have been highly meritorious, from these 
and other considerations the court is of the opinion 
that no further proceedings against General Pillow in 
this case are called for by the interests of the public." 

On July 7, 1848, the President, through the Secre- 
tary of War, issued an order approving the findings 
of the court of inquiry, and adds : 

*' The President, finding, on a careful review of 
the whole evidence, that there is nothing established 
to sustain the charge of ' a violation of the general 
regulation or standing order of the army,' nothing 
in the conduct of General Pillow, nor in his corre- 
spondence with the general in chief of the army, ' un- 
becoming an officer and a gentleman,' concurs with 
the court in their conclusion that ' no further pro- 
ceedings against General Pillow in the case are 
called for by the interests of the public service,' and 
he accordingly directs that no further proceedings 
be had in the case." 



288 GENERAL SCOTT. 

As has been seen, General Scott had defied his 
enemies, whoever they were, to do their worst. The 
charges against him were withdrawn, and the court 
only investigated the charges against General Pillow, 
with the result as given above. The court was then 
dissolved. It is probably fortunate for all the par- 
ties against whom General Scott had brought charges 
that a peace had been consummated, after a cam- 
paign in which all participants from the highest in 
rank to the private had borne such a brilliant part. 

When General Scott arrived at Vera Cruz on his 
journey home he found several fast steamers in 
port, any one of which he could have taken passage 
in, but, with a consideration for the comfort of 
his men, which throughout his career he never 
failed to evince, he left them for the troops soon to 
embark, and taking a small sailing brig, loaded down 
with guns, mortars, and ordnance stores, started 
on his voyage to New York. On Sunday morn- 
ing, May 2oth, at daylight, the health officer boarded 
the brig, and the general landed and proceeded to 
Elizabeth, N. J., to join his family. He had the Mexi- 
can disease (diarrhoea) upon him, and required rest 
and good nursing. He was not long permitted to 
enjoy his much-needed repose, for deputations from 
New York tendered him one of the most magnificent 
civic and military receptions ever extended to any 
hero in this country up to that time. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

General Taylor nominated for the presidency — Thanks of Congress 
to Scott, and a gold medal voted — Movement to revive and con- 
fer upon Scott the brevet rank of lieutenant general — Scott's 
views as to the annexation of Canada — Candidate for Presi- 
dent in 1852 and defeated — Scott's diplomatic mission to 
Canada in 1859 — Mutterings of civil war — Letters and notes 
to President Buchanan — Arrives in Washington, December 
12, 1861 — Note to the Secretary of War — " Wayward sisters " 
letter — Events preceding inauguration of Mr, Lincoln — Prep- 
aration for the defense of Washington — Scott's loyalty — Battle 
of Bull Run — Scott and McClellan — Free navigation of the 
Mississippi River — Retirement of General Scott and affecting 
incidents connected therewith — Message of President Lin- 
coln — McClellan on Scott — Mount Vernon — Scott sails for 
Europe — Anecdote of the day preceding the battle of Chip- 
pewa — The Confederate cruiser Nashville — Incident between 
Scott and Grant — Soldiers' Home — Last days of Scott — His 
opinion of noncombatants. 

General Taylor had been nominated by the 
Whigs as their candidate for President, and at the 
instance of General Scott he [Scott] was put in com- 
mand of the Eastern Department and the former the 
Western Department. This was considered a com- 
pliment to General Taylor. March 9, 1848, the fol- 
lowing joint resolution, unanimously passed by Con- 
gress, was approved by the President : 

" I. That the thanks of Congress be and they are 
hereby presented to Winfield Scott, major general 
commanding in chief the army in Mexico, and 



290 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



through him to the officers and men of the regular 
and volunteer corps under him, for their uniform 
gallantry and good conduct, conspicuously displayed 
at the siege and capture of the city of Vera Cruz and 
castle of San Juan de Ulloa, March 29, 1847 ; and 
in the successive battles of Cerro Gordo, April i8th; 
Contreras, San Antonio, and Churubusco, August 
19th and 20th; and for the victories achieved in 
front of the City of Mexico, September 8th, nth, 
12th, and 13th, and the capture of the metropolis, 
September 14, 1847, in which the Mexican troops, 
greatly superior in numbers and with every advan- 
tage of position, were in every conflict signally de- 
feated by the American arms. 

'* 2. That the President of the United States be 
and he is hereby requested to cause to be struck a 
gold medal with devices emblematical of the series 
of brilliant victories achieved by the army, and pre- 
sented to Major-General Winfield Scott, as a testi- 
mony of the high sense entertained by Congress of 
his valor, skill, and judicious conduct in the memo- 
rable campaign of 1847. 

"3. That the President of the United States be 
requested to cause the foregoing resolutions to be 
communicated to Major-General Scott in such terms 
as he may deem best calculated to give effect to the 
objects thereof." 

On February 24, 1849, a joint resolution was of- 
fered in the United States Senate to confer upon 
General Scott the brevet rank of lieutenant gen- 
eral, which went only to its second reading, an ob- 
jection being interposed to a third reading and pas- 
sage of the resolution. On July 29, 1850, Mr. Jere 
Clemens, of Alabama, submitted a resolution in- 



GRADE OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL. 



291 



structing the Committee on Military Affairs to in- 
quire into the expediency of conferring by law the 
brevet rank of lieutenant general on Major-General 
Scott, " with such additional pay and allowances as 
might be deemed proper, in consideration of the dis- 
tinguished services rendered to the republic by that 
officer during the late war with Mexico." The reso- 
lution was eight days after referred to the Commit- 
tee on Military Affairs. 

On September 30, 1850, Senator Jefferson Davis, of 
Mississippi, Chairman of the Military Committee, re- 
ported a resolution requesting the President to refer 
to a board of officers, to be designated by him, the 
following questions: 

"Is it expedient or necessary to provide for addi- 
tional grades of commissioned officers in the army of 
the United States ; and, if so, what grades, in addi- 
tion to the present organization, should be created ? " 

Mr. Davis's opposition to conferring the brevet 
rank of lieutenant general upon General Scott was 
well known at the time. In pursuance of this request 
by the Senate, the following officers were appointed 
on the board : Generals Jesup, president. Wool, Gib- 
son, Totten, Talcott, Hitchcock, and Colonel Crane. 
The unanimous report was : 

'^ Under the first inquiry referred to it, the board 
is of opinion that it is expedient to create by law for 
the army the additional grade of lieutenant general, 
and that when, in the opinion of the President and 
Senate, it shall be deemed proper to acknowledge emi- 
nent services of officers of the army, and in the mode 
already provided for in subordinate grades, it is ex- 
pedient and proper that the grade of lieutenant gen- 
eral may be conferred by brevet." 
20 



292 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Several efforts were subsequently made to pass 
joint resolutions similar in purport to those quoted 
and referred to, but it was not until 1852 that the 
joint resolution was passed creating the brevet rank 
of lieutenant general, and General Scott succeeded 
to that dignity in the army. The law did not in 
terms carry with it the pay and emoluments of the 
brevet rank, and Mr. Davis, who had become Secre- 
tary of War under President Pierce, referred the ques- 
tion to the Attorney-General, Mr. Caleb Gushing; but 
before that officer rendered an opinion Congress in- 
serted a declaratory provision in the military appro- 
priation bill, which, becoming a law, gave the pay 
proper and all that went with it to a veteran who 
had by his services well earned it. General Scott 
was thenceforward until he died the second officer of 
the American army (General Washington being the 
first) who held the office of lieutenant general. 

After the inauguration of General Taylor as Presi- 
dent, General Scott, between whom and the Presi- 
dent there was no very good feeling, continued his 
headquarters in New York ; but when President Fill- 
more succeeded, in 1850, he removed to Washington, 
and continued to reside in the latter city until the 
accession of President Pierce, when, by General 
Scott's request, there was another change back to 
New York, where until 1861 — with the exception of 
ten months of hard duty — he remained and main- 
tained headquarters of the army. 

In 1849 there were evidences of discontent which 
almost assumed the attitude of threats in the Canadas 
growing out of political agitation, and General Scott 
was interrogated on the question of the advisability 
of annexation by John C. Hamilton, Esq., of New 



CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENCY. 



293 



York. General Scott replied from West Point, June 
29, 1849, in which he expressed the opinion that the 
news from the British Parliament would increase the 
discontent of the Canadas, and that those discontents 
might in a few years lead to a separation of the Can- 
adas, New Brunswick, etc., from England. He 
thought that, instead of those provinces forming 
themselves into an independent nation, they would 
seek a connection with our Union, and that thereby 
the interests of both sides would be promoted, the 
provinces coming into the Union on equal terms with 
the States. This would secure the free navigation of 
the St. Lawrence River, which would be of immense 
importance to at least one third of our population, 
and of great value to the remainder. Although op- 
posed to incorporating with us any district densely 
populated with the Mexican race, he would be most 
happy to fraternize with our Northern and North- 
eastern neighbors. 

In 1852 General Scott became a candidate a sec- 
ond time for the presidency, having been nominated 
by the Whig Convention that met at Baltimore in 
June of that year, his competitors being Mr. Webster, 
and Mr. Fillmore, who succeeded President Taylor. 
William A. Graham, Mr. Fillmore's Secretary of the 
Navy, was put on the ticket for Vice-President. Gen- 
eral Franklin Pierce and William R. King, a Senator 
from Alabama, were respectively put forward for 
President and Vice-President by the Democrats. The 
campaign was a heated one. The Democratic ora- 
tors, however, on all occasions accorded to the Whig 
candidate that meed of praise for his gallantry as an 
army officer and commander to which his services to 
the country had entitled him, and accorded with the 



294 



GENERAL. SCOTT. 



universal sentiment that his services to the country- 
had been of inestimable benefit and shed ineffaceable 
luster on the American arms in the wars since 1800; 
but still, being in all essentials but a military man, it 
was contended he was not fit to be intrusted with 
the exalted office of President. These speakers had 
doubtless never read, or had forgotten, the orders 
published by General Scott upon his capturing the 
City of Mexico, which show a wonderful insight into 
civil as well as military command. It was left to the 
lower portion of the opposition to indulge in carica- 
ture, and garbled and distorted paragraphs in reports 
and published letters, such as a " hasty plate of soup " 
already mentioned, and his reference to " a fire in the 
rear," which had reference to the weak sympathy and 
support he had experienced from the Administration 
during the war with Mexico. The Democratic can- 
didate was overwhelmingly elected, only four States — 
Massachusetts, Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee — 
casting their votes for Scott. In his autobiography 
General Scott thanks God for his political defeats. 
It detracted none from his reputation that the people 
chose some one else for the chief Executive. 

The expedition set on foot in 1857 to bring the 
hostile Mormons to terms met with General Scott's 
censure, and he made no concealment of his belief 
that it was a scheme got up for the benefit of army 
contractors, whose peculations would involve the 
country in great expense. It is true the cost in hard- 
ship and privation to the army, as well as the money 
involved, was very great, but the results were very 
beneficial. During the late civil war the inhabitants 
of Utah had it in their power to greatly embarrass 
the Federal Government, but they did not, as a peo- 



SCOTT AS A DIPLOMAT. 



295 



pie, commit one disloyal act. At the time of the ex- 
pedition they had put themselves in such defiance of 
the Federal Government that it was necessary that 
strong measures should be resorted to, and the result 
was as has been stated. 

In 1859 General Scott was again called upon to 
exercise his powers as a diplomat. Commissioners 
were at that time engaged in running the boundary 
line between the British possessions and the United 
States. Differences sprang up as to which of the 
two countries the San Juan Island in Puget Sound 
belonged to. This question should have been re- 
ferred to the two Governments for amicable settle- 
m^t. General Plarvey, an impetuous officer then in 
command of the United States forces in that country, 
took forcible possession of the island, endangering 
the friendly relations between the two countries. 
The situation was critical, but President Buchanan 
requested General Scott to go to the scene of op- 
erations and settle the matter without conflict, if 
possible. The general had recently been crippled 
from a fall, but, suffering as he was, he sailed Sep- 
tember 20, 1859, from New York in the Star of the 
West for Panama, and thence to his destination. 
The British governor was at Victoria. The few 
friendly notes that passed between General Scott and 
the governor restored the island to its former condi- 
tion, the joint possession of both parties, and thus 
averting what might have led to great and serious 
complications. 

Nothing of particular public importance attracted 
the attention of the general until the mutterings of 
civil war gave utterance to sound. That he knew 
the feeling and determination of the Southern people 



296 GENERAL SCOTT. 

better than those in high authority is shown by his 
suggestions to prevent, if possible, the secession of the 
Southern States. He was a native of Virginia, and 
every effort was made by persuasion to induce him 
to Hnk his fortunes with his State, but without avail. 
Even his old friends — the friends of his early youth 
and manhood, to say nothing of those of maturer 
years — brought to bear upon him every argument to 
swerve him, but to no purpose. He remained true 
to the Government he had served and that had hon- 
ored him, and if his suggestion had been carried out, 
the war would not perhaps have attained the pro- 
portions it did. 

On October 29, i860. General Scott addressed the 
following note to the President [Buchanan] : " The 
excitement that threatens secession is caused by the 
near approach of a Republican's election to the presi- 
dency. From a sense of propriety as a soldier, I 
have taken no part in the pending canvass, and, as 
always heretofore, mean to stay away from the polls. 
My sympathies, however, are with the Bell and Ev- 
erett ticket. With Mr. Lincoln I have no communi- 
cation whatever, direct or indirect, and have no rec- 
ollection of ever having seen his person ; but can not 
believe any unconstitutional violence or breach of 
law is to be apprehended from his administration of 
the Federal Government. 

'^ From a knowledge of our Southern population, it 
is my solemn conviction that there is some danger of 
an early act of secession, viz. : The seizure of some 
or all of the following posts : Forts Jackson and St. 
Philip, on the Mississippi below New Orleans, both 
without garrisons; Fort Morgan, below Mobile, with- 
out garrison ; Forts Pickens and McKee, Pensacola 



SCOTT IN WASHINGTON. 



297 



Harbor, with an insufficient garrison for one; Fort 
Pulaski, below Savannah, without a garrison ; Forts 
Moultrie and Sumter, Charleston Harbor, the former 
with an insufficient garrison and the latter without 
any ; and Fort Monroe, Hampton Roads, without a 
sufficient garrison. In my opinion, all these works 
should be immediately so garrisoned as to make any 
attempt to take any one of them by surprise or coup 
de main ridiculous. 

" With the army faithful to its allegiance and the 
navy probably equally so, and a Federal Executive 
for the next twelve months of firmness and modera- 
tion, which the whole country has a right to expect — 
moderation being an element of power not less than 
firmness — there is good reason to hope that the danger 
of secession may be made to pass away without one 
conflict of arms, one execution, or one arrest for trea- 
son. In the meantime it is suggested that exports 
might be left perfectly free, and, to avoid conflicts, all 
duties on imports be collected outside of the cities 
in forts or ships of war," 

Again, October 31st, the general suggested to the 
Secretary of War that a circular should be sent at 
once to such of those forts as had garrisons to be 
on the alert against surprises and sudden assaults; 
but no notice seems to have been taken of the ju- 
dicious and wise suggestion. 

On December 12th General Scott arrived in 
Washington. He had been confined to his bed for a 
long time and was physically very much depleted. 
He again personally urged upon the Secretary of 
War the views expressed in his note from West Point 
of October 29th as to strengthening the forts in 
Charleston Harbor, Pensacola, Mobile, and the Mis- 



298 GENERAL SCOI T. , 

sissippi River below New Orleans. The Secretary 
did not concur in these views. Finally General Scott 
called on the President, on December 15th, in company 
with the Secretary, and urged upon the chief Execu- 
tive the importance of re-enforcing the forts men- 
tioned; but no action was taken. After the Secretary 
of War [Floyd] had resigned his position in the Cabi- 
net he was given a reception in Richmond, which 
called out the remark from the Examiner, of that city, 
that if the plan invented by General Scott to stop se- 
cession had been carried out, and the arsenals and 
forts put in the condition he wanted them to be, *' the 
Southern Confederacy would not now exist." 

On December 28th he wrote a note to the Secre- 
tary expressing the hope : i. That orders may not be 
given for the evacuation of Fort Sumter [this was 
after Major Anderson had withdrawn his forces from 
Fort Moultrie and concentrated at Sumter]. 2. That 
one hundred and fifty recruits may be instantly sent 
from Governor's Island to re-enforce that garrison, 
with ample supplies of ammunition and subsistence, 
including fresh vegetables, as potatoes, onions, tur- 
nips, etc. 3. That one or two armed vessels be sent 
to support the said fort. In the same communication 
he calls the Secretary's attention to Forts Jefferson 
(Tortugas) and Taylor (Key West). On December 
30th he addressed the President and asked permission, 
" without reference to the War Department, and 
otherwise as secretly as possible, to send two hundred 
and fifty recruits from New York Harbor to re-en- 
force Fort Sumter, together with some extra muskets 
or rifles, ammunition, and subsistence," and asked 
that a sloop of war and cutter might be ordered for 
the same purpose as early as the next day. The 



WAYWARD SISTERS LETTER. 



299 



documents show that from General Scott's first note, 
referred to and quoted herein, down to the inaugura- 
tion of Mr. Lincoln, he was persistent in his efforts 
to have the Southern forts, or as many of them as the 
means at hand would permit, re-enforced and garri- 
soned against surprise and capture ; but little heed 
was paid to his importunities. 

On the day before the inauguration of Mr. Lin- 
coln General Scott addressed William H. Seward, 
who, it was known, would become Secretary of State 
in Lincoln's Cabinet, what is called the " Wayward 
sisters " letter, and which is quoted in full : 

" Washington, March j, 1861. 

" Dear Sir : Hoping that in a day or two the 
new President will have happily passed through all 
personal dangers and find himself installed an hon- 
ored successor of the great Washington, with you as 
the chief of his Cabinet, I beg leave to repeat in 
writing what I have before said to you orally, this 
supplement to my printed 'Views' (dated in October 
last) on the highly disordered condition of our (so 
late) happy and glorious Union. 

'' To meet the extraordinary exigencies of the 
times, it seems to me that I am guilty of no arro- 
gance in limiting the President's field of selection to 
one of the four plans of procedure subjoined : 

'' I. Throw off the old and assume the new des- 
ignation, the Union party ; adopt the conciliatory 
measures proposed by Mr. Crittenden or the Peace 
Convention, and my life upon it, we shall have no 
new case of secession ; but, on the contrary, an early 
return of many, if not of all, the States which have 
already broken off from the Union. Without some 



300 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



equally benign measure the remaining slaveholding 
States will probably join the Montgomery Confeder- 
acy in less than sixty days, when this city, being 
included in a foreign country, would require a per- 
manent garrison of at least thirty-five thousand 
troops to protect the Government within it. 

" II. Collect the duties on foreign goods outside 
the ports of which the Government has lost the 
command, or close such ports by act of Congress 
and blockade them. 

"III. Conquer the seceded States by invading 
armies. No doubt this might be done in two or three 
years by a young and able general — a Wolfe, a De- 
saix, a Hoche — with three hundred thousand dis- 
ciplined men, estimating a third for garrisons and 
the loss of a yet greater number by skirmishes, 
sieges, battles, and Southern fevers. The destruc- 
tion of life and property on the other side would be 
frightful, however perfect the moral discipline of the 
invaders. 

"The conquest completed at the enormous waste 
of human life to the North and Northwest, with at 
least $250,000,000 added thereto, and cici bono ? Fif- 
teen devastated provinces ! not to be brought into 
harmony with their conquerors, but to be held for 
generations by heavy garrisons at an expense quad- 
ruple the net duties or taxes, which it would be pos- 
sible to extort from them, followed by a protector 
or emperor. 

" IV. Say to the seceded States : ' Wayward sisters, 
depart in peace.' 

" In haste, I remain very truly yours, 

"WiNFiELD Scott." 



PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. 



301 



The two months preceding the inauguration of 
Mr. Lincoln were fraught with great responsibility to 
General Scott. He had moved his headquarters to 
Washington, as he thought, temporarily ; but from 
the threatening aspect of the political troubles it soon 
became apparent that his stay there would be, if 
not permanent, prolonged a greater length of time 
than was at first expected. As March 4th approached, 
rumors thick and fast filled the atmosphere of at- 
tempts to resist Mr. Lincoln's taking the oath. It 
was said that bodies of men were drilling in Mary- 
land, Virginia, and even in the District of Columbia, 
for that purpose. There is no doubt men were being 
put through military exercise within a few miles of 
the capital, which was known at the War Depart- 
ment ; but if the object was violence of any kind it 
never developed. Great apprehension was felt, and 
not without reason, for the general's daily mail 
contained letters — mostly anonymous, a few signed 
doubtless with fictitious names — threatening him and 
Mr. Lincoln with assassination if the latter should 
attempt to be inaugurated. Some idea of the diffi- 
culty may be gathered when it is known that the 
militia of the District was but poorly equipped either 
in officers or otherwise to cope successfully with the 
situation should an outbreak or invasion of armed 
men from Maryland or Virginia be attempted. The 
military force of the District showed large on paper, 
but the actual force consisted of two or three com- 
panies tolerably well drilled. In this emergency 
Captain (afterward Brigadier-General) Charles P. 
Stone, a graduate from West Point, offered his serv- 
ices, which were accepted, and about January i, 
i86i,he was mustered into the United States service 



302 GENERAL SCOTT. 

as colonel and inspector general of the militia of 
the District of Columbia, and assigned to the com- 
mand of the District, with authority to organize 
volunteers. Some members of the companies already 
in existence left the ranks, but Colonel Stone soon 
succeeded in organizing a small compact force with 
those that remained loyal, and a number of recruits, 
which did good service. In addition to these, a 
light battery, under Captain John B. Magruder, First 
Artillery ; Captain (afterward General) William Far- 
quhar, Barry's Battery of the Second Artillery ; and 
a battery made up at West Point and commanded 
by Captain (afterward General) Charles Griffin, ar- 
rived. With these, some infantry ordered from dis- 
tant points, and the District militia, which had been 
very much increased in numbers, General Scott had 
about three thousand men under his command for 
the defense of Washington, the preservation of or- 
der, and to guard the approaches to the city. It is 
but due to the citizens of Washington to state that, 
when trouble was apprehended and an intimation 
went out that there was a possibility of trouble, they 
came in great numbers to offer their services in de- 
fense of their city and the Government. Companies 
were organized, and persons in all positions and 
callings, from the highest in social life to the hum- 
blest resident, were not backward in asserting their 
allegiance and giving proof of it by entering the 
ranks. By marching and maneuvering the men on 
the streets frequently they made the impression 
that a greater force was present than really was. 

Many efforts were made to induce General Scott 
to resign, but he never once wavered in his devotion 
to the Union. On one occasion Judge Robertson, 



SCOTT'S LOYALTY. 



303 



a small, thin, but venerable-looking man, who had 
filled the office of chancellor in Virginia and was a 
man of high character and standing, came to Wash- 
ington with two other Virginia gentlemen to offer 
Scott the command of the Army of Virginia if he 
would abandon the United States service and go with 
his State. The general listened in silence as Robert- 
son feelingly recalled the days when they were school- 
boys together, and then spoke of the warm attach- 
ment Virginians always cherished for their State, and 
of their boasted allegiance to it above all other polit- 
ical ties. But when he began to unfold his offer of 
a commission. General Scott stopped him, exclaim- 
ing : " Friend Robertson, go no further. It is best 
that we part here before you compel me to resent 
a mortal insult ! " It is needless to say that this 
ended the interview, and Judge Robertson and his 
companions departed, looking and doubtless feeling 
very much discomfited. No man stood higher in 
the esteem of the people of Virginia than Judge 
Robertson, and it is not probable that he and his 
friends would have taken it upon themselves to make 
the offer they did upon a contingency. If, however, 
they had any authority to act on the part of the 
Commonwealth of Virginia, no act of the Convention 
to that effect can be discovered. 

Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, a Senator from Illinois 
and one of the unsuccessful candidates for the presi- 
dency in i860, made a speech in Ohio early in 1861, 
in which, in alluding to a question that had been 
asked, or rather suggested, as to General Scott's 
loyalty to the Government, said: "Why, it is almost 
profanity to ask such a question. I saw him only 
last Saturday. He was at his desk, pen in hand, 



304 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



writing his orders for the defense and safety of 
the American capital." 

On April 30, 1861, Alexander Henry, Horace 
Binney, William M. Meredith, a former Secretary of 
the Treasury, and others of Philadelphia, addressed a 
letter to General Scott, in which they said : " At a 
time like this, when Americans distinguished by the 
favor of their country, intrenched in power, and oth- 
erwise high in influence and station, civil and mili- 
tary, are renouncing their allegiance to the flag they 
have sworn to support, it is an inexpressible source of 
consolation and pride to us to know that the general 
in chief of the army remains like an impregnable 
fortress at the post of duty and glory, and that he 
will continue to the last to uphold that flag, and de- 
fend it, if necessary, with his sword, even if his 
native State should assail it." 

The Charleston (South Carolina) Mercury of 
April 22, 1861, contained the following statement: 
" A positive announcement was made at Montgom- 
ery, Ala. (then the capital of the Southern Confed- 
eracy), " that General Scott had resigned his posi- 
tion in the army of the United States and tendered 
his sword to his native State — Virginia. At Mobile 
one hundred guns were fired in honor of his resigna- 
tion." This shows in some measure the high estima- 
tion in which General Scott's influence was held 
throughout the South. 

The ceremonies of the inauguration passed off 
without incident. There was no attempt to prevent 
it, or any show of violence. Apprehension was shown 
in every countenance. General Scott rode in front of 
the President's carriage with the company of Sappers 
and Miners from West Point, commanded by Captain 



SAFETY OF THE CAPITAL. 



305 



(afterward General) James Chatham Duane, of the 
engineers. During the ceremonies the general, in 
order to be more free in case of emergency, re- 
mained outside the Capitol square (which was at that 
time surrounded by a strong iron fence) with the 
batteries. The precautions thus taken were, like all 
of General Scott's plans, wise, and possibly saved the 
city from one of those scenes incident to the French 
Revolution, and, it may be, saved the country. At 
the conclusion of the ceremonies the march back to 
the White House was made, and Mr. Lincoln was 
President of the United States. 

From long association in military and private life 
a warm personal friendship had existed between 
General Scott and General Robert E. Lee. At the 
outbreak of the war the latter, then a colonel in the 
army, was at his residence, Arlington, near Washing- 
ton, in Virginia, on leave of absence. General Scott 
sent for him, and after an interview Lee tendered his 
resignation, which was accepted, and he entered the 
service of his own State as major general of State 
troops, and subsequently became commanding gen- 
eral of the armies of the Confederate States. 

Soon after this, and when it was apparent that 
war would come. General Scott's first care was to 
provide for the safety of the city, the Capitol, and 
public buildings. He caused large quantities of 
army supplies, flour, provisions, etc., to be stored in 
the Capitol building, and quartered companies in 
the public buildings with stores and ammunition. A 
signal was agreed upon at sound of which the troops 
could assemble. These companies were all put un- 
der command of regular officers. There was a com- 
pany of citizens from different States organized, and 



3o6 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



quartered at night at the President's house, under 
command of General Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, 
By the action of the seceded States the war was com- 
menced by firing on the steamer Star of the West, 
January 13, 1861, in an effort to re-enforce Fort 
Sumter, Charleston Harbor, and subsequently bom- 
barding that fort April 12, 1861. On April 15th the 
President issued his proclamation calling on the 
governors of the States for seventy-five thousand 
volunteers for three months. Troops soon began 
to assemble at the national capital. The first to ar- 
rive was the famous New York Seventh Regiment. 
There was also a Massachusetts and Rhode Island 
regiment present, when, on April 26th, General Or- 
ders No. 4 were issued from Headquarters of the 
army at Washington. It was as follows: 

" I. From the known assemblage near this city 
of numerous hostile bodies of troops, it is evident 
that an attack upon it may be soon expected. In 
such an event, to meet and repel the enemy, it is 
necessary that some plan of harmonious co-opera- 
tion should be adopted on the part of all the forces, 
regular and volunteer, present for the defense of 
the capital — that is, for the defense of the Govern- 
ment, the peaceable inhabitants of the city, their 
property, the public buildings and public archives. 

"II. At the first moment of attack every regi- 
ment, battalion, squadron, and independent company 
will promptly assemble at its established rendezvous 
(in or out of the public buildings), ready for battle 
and wait for orders. 

" III. The pickets (or advance guards) will stand 
fast until driven in by overwhelming forces ; but it 
is expected that those stationed to defend the bridges, 



GENERAL ORDERS NO. 4. 307 

having every advantage of position, will not give 
way till actually pushed by the bayonet. Such ob- 
stinacy on the part of pickets so stationed is abso- 
lutely necessary, to give time for the troops in the 
rear to assemble at their places of rendezvous. 

'' IV. All advance guards and pickets driven in 
will fall back slowly, to delay the advance of the 
enemy as much as possible, before repairing to their 
proper rendezvous. 

''V. On the happening of an attack, the troops 
lodged in the public buildings and in the navy yard 
will remain for their defense respectively, unless 
specially ordered elsewhere, with the exception that 
the Seventh New York Regiment and Massachusetts 
regiment will march rapidly toward the President's 
Square for its defense; and the Rhode Island regi- 
ment (in the Department of the Interior), when full, 
will make a diversion by detachment, to assist in 
the defense of the General Post-Office Building, if 
necessary." 

From this time on General Scott, old and infirm, 
suffering from wounds received in early service and 
from accidents which befell him in maturer life, con- 
tinued, from his bed or couch on which he was com- 
pelled often to recline, to direct the movements and 
disposition of the troops and provide for the defense 
of the city. The pressure for an onward movement 
of the army was such that it could not be withstood. 
Brigadier-General Irvin McDowell, who had served 
several years on General Scott's staff, was assigned 
to command the forward movement. He prepared 
his plans carefully, under the advice and direction 
of General Scott, which involved a possible battle. 
These plans were frequently gone over with General 
21 



308 GENERAL SCOTT. 

Scott, and finally submitted to and approved by the 
President at the White House, his Cabinet, General 
Scott and staffs, and others, of whom General John C. 
Fremont was one. The result of the advance is well 
known. The Union troops were driven back in 
great disorder ; confusion reigned in Washington, 
and grave apprehensions were felt as to the safety 
of the city if the Confederates should follow up their 
advantage. The battle of Bull Run was fought July 
21, 1861. On the day following a telegram was 
sent to General George B. McClellan, then at Bever- 
ly, Virginia, directing him to turn over his command 
to General William S. Rosecrans and come to Wash- 
ington. In the meantime, however, General Scott 
had taken measures to gather the straggling officers 
and men from the streets and place them in quarters, 
that discipline might be again asserted and main- 
tained. Upon the arrival of McClellan the work of 
reorganizing the army was intrusted to him, and he 
was put in command of the Army of the Potomac. 
He was not General Scott's first choice for that com- 
mand, the latter preferring General Henry W. Hal- 
leck, then on his way from California to Washington, 
for that responsible position. When McClellan took 
command he at once commenced making his reports 
directly to the Secretary of War, instead of through 
the lieutenant general. This was resented by the 
commander in chief, who, September 16, 1861, is- 
sued General Orders No. 17 by way of admonition, 
in which he said : " It is highly important that junior 
officers on duty be not permitted to correspond with 
the general in chief, or other commander, on current 
official business, except through intermediate com- 
manders ; and the same rule applies to correspond- 



SCOTT AND McCLELLAN. 



309 



ence with the President direct, or with him through 
the Secretary of War, unless it be by special invita- 
tion or request of the President." This gentle re- 
minder of his duty to his superior officer did not have 
the desired effect, and so, on October 4th, General 
Scott addressed a letter to Hon. Simon Cameron, 
wherein he quotes his General Orders No. 17, in 
which he says : " I hailed the arrival here of Major- 
General McClellan as an event of happy consequence 
to the country and to the army. Indeed, if I did not 
call for him, I heartily approved of the suggestion, 
and gave it the most cordial support. He, however, 
had hardly entered upon his new duties when, en- 
couraged to communicate directly with the President 
and certain members of the Cabinet, he in a few days 
forgot that he had any intermediate commander, and 
has now long prided himself in treating me with uni- 
form neglect, running into disobedience of orders of 
the smaller matters — neglects, though in themselves 
grave military offenses." He complains that General 
McClellan, with the General Orders No. 17 fresh in 
his mind, had addressed several orders to the Presi- 
dent and Secretary of War over his [Scott's] head. 
On the same day of the issuance of General Orders 
No. 17 General Scott addressed a letter to McClellan 
directing that officer to report to the commanding 
general the position, state, and number of troops un- 
der him by divisions, brigades, and indepenc^ent regi- 
ments or detachments, which general report should 
be followed by reports of new troops as they arrived, 
with all the material changes which might take place 
in the Army of the Potomac. Eighteen days had 
elapsed between his letter to McClellan and his com- 
munication to the Secretary of War, and no response 



3IO 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



had been received. He says : " Perhaps he will say in 
respect to the latter that it has been difficult for him 
to procure the exact returns of divisions and brigades. 
But why not have given me the proximate returns, 
such as he so eagerly furnished the President and 
certain secretaries ? Has, then, a senior no corrective 
power over a junior officer in case of such persistent 
neglect and disobedience ? " He remarks that arrest 
and trial by court-martial would soon cure the evil, 
but feared a conflict of authority over the head of 
the army would be highly encouraging to the enemies 
and depressing to the friends of the Union, and con- 
cludes : ''Hence my long forbearance; and continu- 
ing, though but nominally, on duty, I shall try to 
hold out till the arrival of Major-General Halleck, 
v/hen, as his presence will give me increased confi- 
dence in the safety of the Union, and being, as I am, 
unable to ride in the saddle, or to walk, by reason of 
dropsy in my feet and legs and paralysis in the small 
of my back, I shall definitely retire from the com- 
mand of the army." Thus the crippled, illustrious 
old hero asserted his power and authority to com- 
mand the respect of his subordinates to the last. 
Owing, as has been seen, to his physical condition, 
it was not possible for General Scott to take active 
command of the army. In fact, but comparatively 
few of the army assembled here had ever seen him, 
and they .only when they were passing in review. 

The defense of Washington and the organization 
of the army for that purpose and aggressive move- 
ments from that point did not alone command the at- 
tention of General Scott. He was solicitous about 
the free and uninterrupted navigation of the Missis- 
sippi River, and to prevent obstructions by the Con- 



I 



SCOTT'S RETIREMENT. 311 

federates, or to remove any that might have been 
placed on shore or in the water, he addressed a con- 
fidential letter to General McClellan, then command- 
ing in the West, dated May 3, 1861, in which he in- 
formed that general that the Government was to 
call for twenty-five thousand additional regulars, and 
sixty thousand volunteers to serve for two years. 

An act of Congress approved March 3, 1861, pro- 
vided : 

Section 15. "That any commissioned ofiicer of 
the army, or of the marine corps, who shall have 
served as such for forty consecutive years, may, 
upon his own application to the President of the 
United States, be placed upon the list of retired of- 
ficers, with the pay and allowances allowed by this 
act. 

Section 16. . . . "/';'^zV<f/6'^, That should the lieu- 
tenant general be retired under this act, it shall be 
without reduction in his current pay, subsistence, 
and allowances." 

On October 31, 1861, General Scott addressed 
Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, the follow- 
ing communication : 

" Sir : For more than three years I have been 
unable, from a hurt, to mount a horse or to walk 
more than a few paces at a time, and that with much 
pain. Other and new infirmities — dropsy and ver- 
tigo — admonish me that repose of mind and body, 
with the appliances of surgery and medicine, are 
necessary to add a little more to a life already pro- 
tracted much beyond the usual space of man. It is 
under such circumstances, made doubly painful by 
the unnatural and unjust rebellion now raging in the 



312 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Southern States of our lately prosperous and happy- 
Union, that I am compelled to request that my name 
be placed on the list of army officers retired from 
active service. As this request is founded on an 
absolute right, granted by a recent act of Congress, 
I am at liberty to say that it is with deep regret that 
I withdraw myself in these momentous times from 
the orders of a President who has treated me with 
much distinguished kindness and courtesy, whom I 
know upon much personal intercourse to be patriotic, 
without sectional prejudices; to be highly conscien- 
tious in the performance of every duty, and of un- 
rivaled activity and perseverance; an^ to you, Mr. 
Secretary, whom I now officially address for the last 
time, I beg to acknowledge my many obligations for 
the uniform high consideration I have received at 
your hands, and I have the honor to remam, sir, 
with the highest respect, etc." 

The following day, November ist, a special meet- 
ing of the Cabinet was convened, and it was decided 
that the request, under the circumstances set forth 
in the letter, should be complied with. At four 
o'clock of that day the President and his Cabinet 
proceeded to the residence of General Scott. The 
scene is well described by General Edward Davis 
Townsend, a member of the general's staff, who was 
an eye-witness, and who says : " Being seated, the 
President read to the general the following order: 

"'On the ist day of November, a. d. i86i, upon 
his own application to the President of the United 
States, Brevet Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott is 
ordered to be placed upon the list of retired officers 



LINCOLN AND SCOTT. 313 

of the Army of the United States, without reduction 
in his current pay, subsistence, or allowance. The 
American people will hear with sadness and deep 
emotion that General Scott has withdrawn from the 
active control of the army, while the President and 
unanimous Cabinet express their own and the na- 
tion's sympathy in his personal affliction, and their 
profound sense of the important public services ren- 
dered by him to his country during his long and 
brilliant career, among which will be gratefully dis- 
tinguished his faithful devotion to the Constitution, 
the Union, and the flag when assailed by parricidal 
rebellion. Abraham Lincoln.' 

" General Scott thereupon arose and addressed 
the Cabinet, who had also risen, as follows: 

" ' President, this honor overwhelms me. It over- 
pays all the services I have attempted to render my 
country. If I had any claims before, they are all 
obliterated by this expression of approval by the 
President, with the remaining support of the Cabinet. 
I know the President and his Cabinet well. I know 
that the country has placed its interests in this try- 
ing crisis in safe keeping. Their counsels are wise, 
their labors as untiring as they are loyal, and their 
course is the right one. 

" ' President, you must excuse me. I am unable 
to stand longer to give utterance to the feelings of 
gratitude which oppress me. In my retirement I 
shall offer up my prayers to God for this Administra- 
tion and for my country. I shall pray for it with 
confidence in its success over all enemies, and that 
speedily.' 

*' The President then took leave of General Scott, 



314 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



giving him his hand, and saying that he hoped soon 
to write him a private letter expressive of his grati- 
tude and affection. . . . Each member of the Ad- 
ministration then gave his hand to the veteran and 
retired in profound silence." 

The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary 
of War accompanied Generel Scott to New York the 
next morning. On the same day (November ist) 
Secretary Cameron addressed the lieutenant general 
the following letter in response to the latter's of the 
day previous : 

"General: It was my duty to lay before the 
President your letter of yesterday, asking to be re- 
lieved on the recent act of Congress. In separating 
from you, I can not refrain from expressing my deep 
regret that your health, shattered by long service 
and repeated wounds received in your country's de- 
fense, should render it necessary for you to retire 
from your high position at this momentous period of 
our history. Although you are not to remain m 
active service, I yet hope that while I continue in 
charge of the department over which I now preside 
I shall at all times be permitted to avail myself of 
the benefits of your wise counsels and sage experi- 
ence. It has been my good fortune to enjoy a per- 
sonal acquaintance with you for over thirty years, 
and the pleasant relations of that long time have 
been greatly strengthened by your cordial and en- 
tire co-operation in all the great questions which 
have occupied the department and convulsed the 
country for the last six months. In parting from 
you I can only express the hope that a merciful 
Providence that has protected you amid so many 



LINCOLN AND SCOTT. 



3^5 



trials will improve your health and continue your 
life long after the people of the country shall have 
been restored to their former happiness and pros- 
perity. I am, general, very sincerely, 

" Your friend and servant." 

In his first annual message to Congress, Mr. Lin- 
coln deplores the physical necessity that compelled 
the retirement of Scott in the following language : 

" Smce your last adjournment Lieutenant-General 
Scott has retired from the head of the army. Dur- 
ing his long life the nation has not been unmindful 
of his merits; yet, in calling to mind how faithfully 
and ably and brilliantly he has served his country, 
from a time far back in our history, when few now 
living had been born, and thenceforward continually, 
I can not but think we are still his debtors. I sub- 
mit, therefore, for your consideration what further 
mark of consideration is due to him and to ourselves 
as a grateful people." 

In virtue of this act and in pursuance of the fore- 
going request on November i, 1861, the lieutenant 
general having been retired from active service. 
General Orders No. 94 announced that " the Presi- 
dent is pleased to direct that Major-General George 
B. McClellan assume command of the Army of the 
United States." On assuming the important com- 
mand to which he had been designated. General 
McClellan on the same day issued his General Orders 
No. 19, in which he gracefully and feelingly alludes 
to the retiring commander : 

''The army will unite with me in the feeling of 
regret that the weight of many years and the effect 
of increasing infirmities, contracted and intensified 



31' 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



in his country's service, should just now remove 
from our head the great soldier of our nation — the 
hero who in his youth raised high the reputation of 
his country on the fields of Canada, which he hal- 
lowed with his blood ; who in more mature years 
proved to the world that American skill and valor 
could repeat, if not eclipse, the exploits of Cortez in 
the land of the Montezumas; whose life has been 
devoted to the service of his country; whose whole 
efforts have been directed to uphold our honor at the 
smallest sacrifice of life; a warrior who scorned the 
selfish glories of the battlefield when his great abili- 
ties as a statesman could be employed more profita- 
bly to his country ; a citizen who in his declining 
years has given to the world the most shining in- 
stances of loyalty in disregarding all ties of birth 
and clinging to the cause of truth and honor — such 
has been the career, such the character, of Winfield 
Scott, whom it has long been the delight of the na- 
tion to honor, both as a man and a soldier. While 
we regret his loss, there is one thing we can not re- 
gret — the bright example he has left for our emula- 
tion. Let us all hope and pray that his declining 
years may be passed in peace and happiness, and that 
they may be cheered by the success of the country 
and the cause he has fought for and loved so well. 
Beyond all that, let us do nothing that can cause him 
to blush for us; let no defeat of the army he has so 
long commanded embitter his last years, but let our 
victories illuminate the close of a life so grand," Gen- 
eral Scott lived to see the fulfillment of this devout 
prayer in a restoration of the union of the States. 

General Scott held in great reverence the fame 
and memory of the Father of his Country, and was 



GENERAL STONE. 



317 



desirous that Mount Vernon should be left undis- 
turbed during the trouble arising from the civil war. 
A report was sent abroad that the bones of Washing- 
ton had been removed. This report was wholly 
without foundation, but it created a great deal of ex- 
citement in both sections of the country. Through 
the efforts of the lady regent who resided there, an 
understanding was arrived at by which it should be 
regarded by both sides as neutral ground. The gen- 
eral, however, issued General Orders No, 13, July 31, 
1861, from which is quoted: '' Should the operations 
of the war take the United States troops in that direc- 
tion, the general in chief does not doubt that each 
and every man will approach with due reverence and 
leave uninjured not only the tombs, but also the 
house, the groves, and walks which were so loved by 
the best and greatest of men." It is true that neither 
party ever invaded the sacred precincts where re- 
pose the remains of the illustrious Washington, but 
they were found when the war closed to be in as fair 
a state of preservation as was possible under the cir- 
cumstances, and of partial suspension of husbandry. 
No act of vandalism was attemped. 

In the fall of 1861 Brigadier-General Charles P. 
Stone obtained permission from General Scott to 
take a brigade and make a demonstration along the 
line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal toward Har- 
per's Ferry in order to afford an outlet for the fine 
wheat that had been harvested about Leesburg, Vir- 
ginia, to the large flouring mills at Georgetown, ad- 
joining Washington. This led to the battle of Ball's 
Bluff, or Leesburg, October 21st, the death of Colonel 
Edward D. Baker, of the Seventy-first Pennsylvania 
Infantry, and at the time a senator in Congress from 



3l8 GENERAL SCOTT. 

the State of Oregon, and the subsequent arrest and 
close confinement of the unfortunate commander for 
several months without charges of any nature having 
been preferred against him.* 

On November 9, 1861, General Scott sailed for 
Europe in the steamer Arago for Havre to join his 
wife, who was in Paris. Mr. Thurlow Weed, a thor- 
ough loyalist and prominent politician, was a passen- 
ger on the same ship. He and General Scott had 
been on terms of intimacy for over thirty years. 
During the passage over the general gave Mr. Weed 
the true version of how he came near bemg made a 
prisoner in 1814. After apologizing in advance for 
the question about to be put and receiving permis- 
sion to propound it, Mr. Weed said : " General, did 
anything remarkable happen to you on the morning 
of the battle of Chippewa ? " The general answered : 
" Yes, something did happen to me — something very 
remarkable. I will now for the third time in my life 
repeat the story : 

" The fourth day of July, 1814, was one of extreme 
heat. On that day my brigade skirmished with a Brit- 
ish force commanded by General Riall from an early 
hour in the morning till late in the afternoon. We had 
driven the enemy down the river some twelve miles 
to Street's Creek, near Chippewa, where we encamped 

* General Stone (1824-1887) was arrested by order of the 
Secretary of War and confined in Fort Lafayette, New York 
Harbor, from February 9 to August 16, 1862. The general im- 
pression that it was done through the influence of Senator Sumner 
is denied by his biographer, Mr. Henry L. Pierce. Vide Life of 
Sumner, vol. iv, pp. 67, 68 : Boston, 1893. Generals Grant and 
Sherman both stated to the editor of this series, that it was an 
exceedingly arbitrary and unjust act. 



A REMINISCENCE. 



319 



for the night, our army occupying the west, while 
that of the enemy was encamped on the east side of 
the creek. After our tents had been pitched I noticed 
a flag borne by a man in a peasant's dress approach- 
ing my marquee. He brought a letter from a lady 
who occupied a large mansion on the opposite side of 
the creek, informing me that she was the wife of a 
member of Parliament who was then in Quebec ; that 
her children, servants, and a young lady friend were 
alone with her in the house; that General Riall had 
placed a sentinel before her door ; and that she ven- 
tured, with great doubts of the propriety of the re- 
quest, to ask that I would place a sentinel upon the 
bridge to protect her against stragglers from our 
camp. I assured the messenger that the lady's re- 
quest should be complied with. Early the next morn- 
ing the same messenger, bearing a white flag, reap- 
peared with a note from the same lady, thanking me 
for the protection she had enjoyed, adding that, in 
acknowledgment for my civilities, she begged that I 
would, with such members of my staff as I chose to 
bring with me, accept the hospitalities of her house 
at a breakfast which had been prepared with consid- 
erable attention and was quite ready. Acting upon 
an impulse which I never have been able to analyze 
or comprehend, I called my two aids, Lieutenants 
Worth and Watts, and returned with the messenger. 
"We met our hostess at the door, who ushered 
us into the dining room, where breakfast awaited us 
and where the young lady previously referred to 
was already seated by the coffee urn, our hostess 
asking to be excused for a few minutes, and the 
young lady immediately served our coffee. Before 
we had broken our fast, Lieutenant Watts rose from 



320 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



the table to get his bandanna (that being before the 
days of napkins), which he had left in his cap on a 
side table by the window, glancing through which he 
saw Indians approaching the house on one side and 
redcoats approaching it on the other, with an evident 
purpose of surrounding it and us, and instantly ex- 
claimed, ' General, we are betrayed ! ' Springing 
from the table and clearing the house, I saw our 
danger, and, remembering Lord Chesterfield had 
said, 'Whatever it is proper to do it is proper to do 
well,' and as we had to run and as my legs were 
longer than those of my companions, I soon out- 
stripped them. As we made our escape we were 
fired at, but got across the bridge in safety." 

After the battle of Chippewa the mansion de- 
scribed, being the largest near by, was used as a 
hospital for the wounded officers of both armies. 
The general went there to visit his officers, whom he 
found on the second floor. On going there he met 
the hostess, who, by her flurried and embarrassed 
manner, impressed the general with the belief that 
she had endeavored to entrap him. But years after 
General Scott was inclined to give her the benefit 
of the doubt and think that the presence at the house 
of himself and staff was accidentally discovered by 
the Indians and British. 

The Arago touched at Southampton to discharge 
the English mail and passengers, and here an excit- 
ing incident occurred. When the anchor had been 
cast, a vessel steamed up, flying the Confederate 
colors, which proved to be the cruiser Nashville. 
All was astir on the Arago, as an attack was ex- 
pected as soon as that vessel had cleared port and 
got into neutral waters. The general asked the cap- 



THE TRENT AFFAIR. 32 1 

tain of the vessel what means of defense he had. It 
was found that thirty muskets and two cannon were 
available. The crew and those of the passengers 
who were fit for duty were formed upon the forward 
deck and the business of drilling was commenced, 
the general advising and in great measure directing 
the preparations for defense. It turned out, how- 
ever, that the Nashville had put into Southampton for 
repairs, and the Arago proceeded on her voyage in 
safety. After remaining one day at Havre General 
Scott proceeded to Paris. The steamer that followed 
the Arago brought news of the " Trent affair." On 
November 8, 1861, Commodore Charles Wilkes, in 
command of the United States steamer San Jacinto, 
on his return from the coast of Africa, put into 
Havana. On the same day the British mail steamer 
Trent sailed from that port, having on board as pas- 
sengers James M. Mason, of Virginia, and John 
Slidell, of Louisiana, Confederate plenipotentiaries to 
France and England. The San Jacinto overhauled 
the Trent in the Bahama Straits, brought her to by a 
shot across the bow, arrested and removed the Con- 
federate commissioners and their secretaries from the 
mail steamer, and brought them to Fortress Monroe, 
where Commodore Wilkes awaited instructions from 
Washington. They were subsequently removed to 
Fort Warren, in Boston Harbor. The arrest and re- 
moval of these Confederate diplomats created great 
excitement in England, and for a time it was feared 
that hostilities between the countries would ensue. 
The affair was commented upon severely by the press, 
and the subjects of Her Britannic Majesty were at 
fever heat. Eight thousand British soldiers were 
immediately dispatched to Canada, and the ship- 



322 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



yards were put to their utmost capacity. When the 
news and the excitement reached the old hero, who 
had hoped that he would find some rest in Paris 
after his long and eventful career, he determined at 
once to return to his native country and be on the 
spot should his counsel and advice be needed. He 
took the same steamer that he had gone out on and 
returned home. The Trent affair was settled by sur- 
rendering the Confederate commissioners, and war 
was happily averted. 

During the years that followed, his advice was 
frequently sought by the President and others high 
in authority. It was at West Point that the general 
received the Prince of Wales when he visited this 
country, and at the same place the interview oc- 
curred between Scott and Grant when the former 
presented the latter a gift " from the oldest to the 
greatest general." In December, 1865, General Scott 
went to Key West, Fla., and remained there a por- 
tion of the winter. On returning, he spent a few 
weeks in New York city, and then went to West 
Point. It was then the mcident mentioned took 
place between him and General Grant. 

As early as February 27, 1829, a report was made 
to Congress by the Committee on Military Affairs 
upon the subject of establishing an "army asylum 
fund," and letters were submitted from the major 
general commanding and other officers of the army 
expressive of their views on the subject. In Feb- 
ruary, 1840, General Robert Anderson (then a cap- 
tain in the adjutant general's department) addressed 
a letter to Hon. John Reynolds, giving his views 
upon the benefits and advantages which would result 
from establishing such an institution, with sugges- 



THE ARMY ASYLUM. 



323 



tions for a plan for one. This letter formed the 
basis of a report, January 7, 1841, by the Committee 
on Military Affairs, submitting a bill in which the 
measures suggested therein were embraced, and urg- 
ing the necessary legislation as commending itself 
'' by every attribute and motive of patriotism, be- 
nevolence, national gratitude, and economy." Gen- 
eral Scott was deeply interested in the subject, and 
in 1844 gave it special prominence in his annual 
report, which led to a report as theretofore from the 
military committee. On March 5, 1846, a report was 
also made on a memorial of the officers of the army 
stationed at Fort Moultrie and the petition of offi- 
cers of the Second United States Infantry, and later 
(on January 19, 1848) upon the memorial of the offi- 
cers of the army then in Mexico. The committee in 
each case approved and recommended the passage 
of the bill reported January 7, 1841. The plan, 
however, did not assume practical shape until the 
transmission by General Scott of the draft for one 
hundred thousand dollars, a part of the tribute levied 
on the City of Mexico for the benefit of the army, 
requesting that it might be allowed to go to the 
credit of the asylum fund. He says in a letter dated 
November, 1849, referring to the same matter : " The 
draft was payable to me, and, in order to place the 
deposit beyond the control of any individual func- 
tionary whatever, I indorsed it. The Bank of Amer- 
ica will place the within amount to the credit of the 
army asylum, subject to the order of Congress." 
This fund, together with a balance of eighteen thou- 
sand seven hundred and ninety-one dollars and nine- 
teen cents remaining from the same levy, was subse- 
quently appropriated to found the asylum. By the 
22 



324 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



act those who are entitled to the benefits of the 
asylum were soldiers of twenty years' service and 
men, whether pensioners or not, who have been dis- 
abled by wounds or disease in the service in the line 
of duty. An honorable discharge is a preliminary 
requisite to admission. The inmates are all thus 
civilians. At first the general in chief, the generals 
commanding the Eastern and Western military divi- 
sions, the chiefs of the quartermaster's, commissary, 
pay, and medical departments, and the adjutant 
general of the army composed the board of commis- 
sioners ex officio to administer the affairs of the insti- 
tution. An unexpended balance of fifty-four thou- 
sand three hundred and nineteen dollars and twenty- 
three cents was appropriated " for the benefit of dis- 
charged soldiers disabled by wounds." A perpetual 
revenue was provided from " stoppages and fines im- 
posed by court-martial," "forfeitures on account of 
desertion," a certain portion of the hospital and post 
fund of each station, moneys belonging to the estates 
of deceased soldiers not claimed for three years ; also 
a deduction of twenty-five cents per month with his 
consent from the pay of each enlisted man. The 
act of Congress of March 3, 1859, changed the pro- 
visions of the original act and reduced the number 
of commissioners to three — the commissary general 
of subsistence, the surgeon general, and the adju- 
tant general of the army, substituted the name of 
"Soldiers' Home " for " Military Asylum," and ex- 
tended the benefits of the Home to the soldiers of 
the War of 181 2. The act of Congress of March 3, 
1883, added the general in chief commanding the 
army, the quartermaster general, the judge advocate 
general, and the governor of the Home to the board 



ARMY ASYLUMS ESTABLISHED. 



325 



of commissioners ; these officers, together with those 
already named, compose the board. By the same 
act pensioners who are inmates of the Home may 
assign their pension and have the same or any por- 
tion thereof paid to a wife, child, or parent if liv- 
ing ; otherwise the pension is paid to the treasurer 
of the Home and held by him in trust for the pen- 
sioner, who may, while an inmate, draw upon it for 
necessary purposes, and receive whatever balance 
may remain upon his discharge. 

In 185 1 temporary asylums were established at 
New Orleans, La., Greenwoods Island, Miss., and 
Washington, D. C. The one at New Orleans con- 
tinued about one year. A tract of land was pur- 
chased in Mississippi comprising one hundred and 
ten acres in 1853, and was occupied until 1855. At 
this date the inmates were removed to a branch 
asylum near Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Ky. 
This latter asylum was discontinued in 1858 under 
the act of March 3, 1857, and the inmates trans- 
ferred to the Home near Washington, which was es- 
tablished in i85i-'52. This Home is situated about 
three miles due north of the Capitol of the nation. 
At first it comprised two hundred and fifty-six acres 
of land. Subsequent acquisitions by purchases have 
been added, so that now the grounds comprise five 
hundred acres and three quarters. The largest part 
of the grounds are woodland, a portion being cul- 
tivated for the benefit of the Home, and through 
it nearly ten miles of graded, macadamized roads 
have been constructed, winding through the groves of 
native and foreign selected trees. The park is open 
to the public at proper hours, and forms a favorite 
drive and walk for the residents of and visitors to 



326 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Washington. The principal building for the inmates 
is of white marble, the south part being called the 
Scott Building, after the founder of the institution, 
and the addition on the north is called the Sherman 
Building, after General W. T. Sherman. The old 
homestead building to the west of and not far from 
the Scott Building is called the Robert Anderson 
Building, in commemoration of the early advocacy of 
and interest in the establishment of the Home by 
that officer. This building was the home of the first 
inmates, and has frequently been used as the sum- 
mer residence of the Presidents. It has been occu- 
pied by Presidents Buchanan, Lincoln, Hayes, and 
Arthur. There is a building to the east called the 
King Building, after Benjamin King, U. S. A., who 
was the surgeon in charge for thirteen years. Brick 
quarters were erected to the northeast of the Sher- 
man Building in 1883, and, in honor of General Philip 
H. Sheridan, is named the Sheridan Building. There 
is a neat chapel built of red sandstone, which was 
completed in 187 1, where religious services, both 
Protestant and Roman Catholic, are regularly held. 
The officers in immediate charge of the Home are a 
governor, a deputy governor, a secretary and treas- 
urer, and a medical officer detailed from the army. 
The inmates who are not pensioned receive one dol- 
lar a month pocket money, and twenty-five cents a 
day for such labor as they are detailed for and willing 
to perform. Some beneficiaries who have families 
receive a small monthly stipend and reside else- 
where than at the Home. The whole number of 
permanent inmates admitted up to September 30, 
1892, was 8,086. The number on the rolls January 
31, 1893, was 1,196; of these, 824 were present at 



IMPATIENT OF CONTRADICTION. 



327 



the Home, some receiving outside assistance, and 
some being absent on furlough. 

A heroic statue in bronze of Lieutenant-General 
Winheld Scott, by Launt Thompson, was erected in 
1874 on the most commanding point of the grounds. 
Aside from the artistic finish of the statue, it is a 
wonderful likeness of the subject. There is also a 
perfectly designed hospital for the sick and an in- 
firmary for the aged and helpless, which was com- 
pleted in 1876. No grander or more lasting monu- 
ment could be erected to perpetuate the memory of 
the illustrious general than the Soldiers' Home near 
Washington. 

General Scott, in his later years, was very impa- 
tient of contradiction, but when convinced that he 
was in error was always ready to acknowledge it. 
In a diary of Colonel (now General) James Grant 
Wilson, who was at that time aid-de-camp to General 
Banks, occurs the following: 

"On the morning of the 19th of February, 1864, 
I spent an hour with Scott at his quarters, Delmon- 
ico's, corner Fourteenth Street and Fifth Avenue. 
During our conversation he mentioned that he was 
engaged in writing his Memoirs, and that he expe- 
rienced a great deal of annoyance from his difficulty 
in obtaining dates relating to events in the south- 
west. He expressed regret that Gayarre, whom he 
knew and had met before the war, had not published 
the third volume of the History of Louisiana, which 
he [Scott] knew was in manuscript. I remarked 
that I thought I had seen the work in three octavo 
volumes. * No, you have not seen three volumes. 
There are only two published, and the first is a 
small i8mo volume,' was the old gentleman's an- 



328 GENERAL SCOTT. 

swer. I further added that it was my impression 
that I had seen three, when the old soldier settled 
the matter by saying, * Your impressions are entirely 
wrong, colonel.' An hour later I purchased the third 
volume at a Broadway bookseller's, and sent it to 
him with the following note : 

" ' Fifth Avenue Hotel, February ig, 1864. 
" '■ My dear General : I have much pleasure in 
sending you the third volume of Gayarre's History 
of Louisiana, which I trust may contain the desired 
information. Should you wish to refer to the first 
volume of his work, you will find it at the Astor Li- 
brary. It is an octavo volume of about five hundred 
pages, published by Harper & Brothers, of this city. 
I have the honor to be, general, very truly yours, 
(Signed) " ' Jas Grant Wilson., 

'' ' Col., A. D. C. 
'"■ Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott.' 

" Called on Scott soon after my arrival from New 
Orleans (early in October, 1864), and had a very 
pleasant interview. Almost the first thing he said 
was thanking me most kindly for the third volume 
of Gayarre's History, and apologizing for his mis- 
take. Told me his Memoirs were completed and 
in press; that he had closed them abruptly, as he 
was fearful that his end was near, during the early 
part of the summer — about June, I think he said." 

General Scott's health continuing bad, he was 
conveyed in a quartermaster's boat from New York 
to West Point by General Stewart Van Vliet, ac- 
companied by several personal friends. He died at 
the West Point Hotel a few minutes after eleven 



DEATH AND LAST WORDS. 329 

o'clock, May 29, 1866. The last words which he 
spoke were to his coachman : " Peter, take good care 
of my horse." He was buried, in accordance with 
his oft-expressed wish, in the West Point Cemetery, 
on June ist, his remains being accompanied to the 
grave by some of the most illustrious men of the 
country, including General Grant and Admiral Far- 
ragut. The horse mentioned above was a splendid 
animal, seventeen hands high and finely formed. 
The last time that General Scott mounted him was 
in the latter part of 1859, which he did with the aid 
of a stepladder, for the purpose of having an eques- 
trian portrait painted for the State of Virginia. The 
war coming on, the picture passed into possession of 
the Mercantile Library of New York. 

The author received a letter from the late Ruth- 
erford B. Hayes in January, 1892, in which he said: 
"On my Southern tour in 1877 I repeated two or 
three times something like this, purporting to be 
quoted from General Scott : ' When the war is over 
and peace restored, there will be no difficulty in re- 
storing harmonious and friendly relations between 
the soldiers of the sections. The great trouble will 
be to restore and keep the peace between the non- 
belligerent combatants of the war.' I did not hear 
the remark of General Scott. My recollection is 
that I heard it from General Rosecrans." . . . 

On submitting President Hayes's letter to Gen- 
eral Rosecrans, he made the following statement : 
"I heard that story about General Scott from Gen- 
eral Charles P. Stone. General Stone was on the 
staff of General Scott. At the beginning of the war, 
in the spring of 1861, he w^as directed to organize the 
militia of the District of Columbia, and was present 



330 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



when the following occurred, as he told me person- 
ally. Shortly after the fall of Sumter and the Presi- 
dent's call for troops, Secretaries Seward, Chase, and 
Cameron came to General Scott's residence in Wash- 
ington one evening and found him at the dinner table. 
One of them said : ' General, our duties as members 
of the Cabinet make it very desirable for us to have 
some idea of what the probable range and course of 
the war will be, that we may guide ourselves accord- 
ingly. We have therefore come to you to get your 
judgment on the situation.' On the general's invi- 
tation, they sat down at his dinner table, and he 
went on to explain his idea of how the war would 
progress from year to year. While he was talking, 
Mr. Seward seemed to be somewhat impatient, and 
put in several little interruptions, but finally sub- 
sided and allowed General Scott to proceed. The 
general gave an outline of a war probably lasting 
from three and one half to four years, but resulting 
in favor of the Union. 

"On the general's announcement of his opinion 
that the Union would triumph, Mr. Seward, rubbing 
his hands, inquired, 'Well, general, then the troubles 
of the Federal Government will be at an end.' To 
which General Scott replied, 'No, gentlemen, for a 
long time thereafter it will require the exercise of 
the full powers of the Federal Government to re- 
strain the fury of the noncombatants.' " 

To a young army officer he gave the following 
advice : " You are now beginning life ; you are igno- 
rant of society and of yourself. You appear to be 
industrious and studious enough to fit yourself for 
high exploits in your profession, and your next ob- 
ject should be to make yourself a perfect man of the 



WHIST ANECDOTE. 



331 



world. To do that you must carefully observe well- 
bred men. You must also learn to converse and to 
express your thoughts in proper language. You must 
make acquaintances among the best people, and take 
care always to be respectful to old persons and to 
ladies." General Scott was always extremely gal- 
lant and courteous to ladies and greatly enjoyed the 
society of intelligent and refined women. As stated 
in the early part of this work, General Scott had been 
an industrious student of the law, and the knowledge 
thus acquired was of great service to him throughout 
his eventful career. He was well read in the stand- 
ard English authors — Shakespeare, Milton, Addison, 
Pope, Johnson, Goldsmith, Dryden, Hume, Gibbon, 
and the early English novelists. He was a constant 
reader of the best foreign and American periodicals 
and the leading newspapers of the day. He was of 
the opinion that wars would never cease, and there- 
fore took little interest in peace societies. 

He held the opinion that the study of the higher 
mathematics had a tendency to lessen the ability to 
move armies in the field, yet expressed regret that 
he had not in his youth given more study to the 
subject. He was very fond of whist, but was quite 
irritated when he was beaten and generally had a 
ready excuse for his defeat. On one occasion he was 
playing a very close game, in the midst of which he 
left the table to expectorate in the fireplace. He 
lost the game and said to one of the party, "Young 
gentleman, do you know why I lost that game?" 
" No, sir," was the response. " It was because I got 
up to spit." Scott was also a good chess player. 

He used tobacco somewhat excessively until the 
close of the Mexican War, after which time he re- 



S3 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



nounced its use entirely. He was exceedingly vain 
of his accomplishments as a cook and specially prided 
himself on the knowledge of how to make good 
bread. He spent several days in instructing the 
cook at Cozzens' Hotel, AVest Point, in this art, and 
did not desist until the bread was made according to 
his standard. He had a great aversion to dining 
alone, and rather than do so would cheerfully pay 
for the meal of any pleasant friend whom he would 
invite to dine with him. General Scott openly pro- 
fessed himself a Christian and was a regular attendant 
at the services of the Episcopal Church. He was 
broad and liberal in his views and condemned no man 
who differed with him in religious opinion. He 
usually carried a large, stout, gold-headed cane, and 
after entering his pew would rest both hands on its 
head and bow his head, praying in silence. It was 
difficult for him to kneel on account of his size. He 
scrupulously joined with the greatest decorum and 
seriousness in all the services of the church, respond- 
ing in a distinct, loud voice. 

He was impatient with persons who could not 
recollect or did not know of dates and events which 
were conspicuous in his life. He was asked at one 
time the date of the battle of Chippewa. He an- 
swered blandly, " July 5, 1814." Turning to a friend, 
he remarked, " There is fame for you." The same 
party inquired in what State he was born. He an- 
swered, ''Virginia." "Ah," said the questioner, "I 
thought you were a native of Connecticut." This 
left him in a bad humor for the remainder of the 
evening. The editor of this series has said of him : 
" General Scott was a man of true courage — person- 
ally, morally, and religiously brave. He was in 



HIS IDEAS OF DISCIPLINE. 



333 



manner, association, and feeling courtly and chival- 
rous. He was always equal to the danger — great on 
great occasions. His unswerving loyalty and patri- 
otism were always conspicuous, and of such a lofty 
character that had circumstances rendered the sacri- 
fice necessary he would have unhesitatingly followed 
the glorious example of the Swiss hero of Sempach, 
who gave his life to his country six hundred years 
ago. . . . He was too stately in his manners and too 
exacting in his discipline — that power which Carnot 
calls ' the glory of the soldier and the strength of 
armies.' A brief anecdote will illustrate the strict- 
ness of his discipline. While on duty he always re- 
quired officers to be dressed according to their rank 
in the minutest particular. The general's headquar- 
ters in Mexico comprised two rooms, one opening 
into the other. In the rear room General Scott slept. 
One night after the general had retired a member 
of his staff wanted some water. The evening was 
warm and the hour late, being past midnight. The 
officer rose to go in his shirt sleeves. He was cau- 
tioned against the experiment as a dangerous one, 
for if Scott caught him in his quarters with his coat 
off he would punish him. The officer said he would 
risk it — that the general was asleep, and he would 
make no noise. He opened the door softly and 
went on tiptoe to the water pitcher. He had no time 
to drink before he heard the tinkle of the bell, and 
the sentinel outside the door entered. ' Take this 
man to the guardhouse,' was the brief order, and 
the coatless captain spent the night on a hard plank 
under guard."* He did not conceal his opinions of 

* Wilson's Sketches of Illustrious Soldiers : New York, 1874. 



334 GENERAL SCOTT. 

men or measures, and hence he very often gave of- 
fense. It should be borne in mind that the public 
men of the age when General Scott came on the 
stage, both military and civil, were as a rule digni- 
fied, formal, and to some extent dogmatic. They 
held themselves with great dignity, and their mag- 
netism was the result of their commanding abilities 
and high character, and they did not rely for popu- 
larity upon the methods of modern times. 

General Grant, in mentioning General Scott's 
Mexican campaign, says: ''Both the strategy and 
tactics displayed by General Scott in the various 
engagements of August 20, 1847, were faultless, as 
I look upon them now after the lapse of so many 
years." And further : " General Scott enjoys the rare 
distinction of having held high and successful com- 
mand in two wars, which were a full generation 
apart. In 1847 he commanded, in Mexico, the sons 
of those officers who aided in his brilliantly success- 
ful campaign against the British on the borders of 
Canada in 1814." Daniel Webster, in a speech de- 
livered in the United States Senate February 20, 
1848, said: " I understand, sir, that there is a report 
from General Scott, a man who has performed the 
most brilliant campaign on recent military record, a 
man who has warred against the enemy, warred 
against the climate, warred against a thousand un- 
propitious circumstances, and has carried the flag of 
his country to the capital of the enemy — honorably, 
proudly, humanely — to his own permanent honor 
and the great military credit of his country. And 
where is he ? At Pueblo — at Pueblo, undergoing an 
inquiry before his inferiors in rank, and other per- 
sons without military rank, while the high powers he 



GENERAL WILSON'S TRIBUTE. 



335 



has exercised and executed with so much distinction 
are transferred to another — I do not say to one un- 
worthy of them, but to one inferior in rank, station, 
and experience to himself." No more fitting close to 
this sketch of his life can be given than to quote the 
words of his friend. General Wilson : " He has be- 
queathed to his country a name pure and unspotted 
— a name than which the republic has few indeed 
that shine with a brighter luster, and a name that 
will go down to future generations with those of the 
greatest captains of the nineteenth century." 



INDEX 



Abadie, Captain, Louisiana 
volunteers, loi. 

Aberdeen, Lord, British Minis- 
ter, 151. 

Abraham, negro, Indian inter- 
preter, 74. 

Adams, George, Lieutenant, 

253. 

Adams, John Quincy, ex-Presi- 
dent, 153, 

Adams, the British vessel, cap- 
tured, 13. 

Allen, Captain, 17. 

Alvarez, Mexican General, 219, 
221, 231. 

Amatha, Charley, 79. 

American forces surrender to 
General Sheaffe, 18. 

Ampudia, Pedro de, Mexican 
General, surrenders, 155, 156. 

Anaya, Don Pedro Maria, Gen- 
eral, elected President of 
Mexico, 257. 

Andrews, Timothy P., Colonel, 
226. 

Anderson, Robert, General, 135, 
322, 326. 

Anecdote of Colonel Scott and 
a Roman Catholic priest, 19. 

Armistice violated ; General 



Scott's letter to President of 
Mexican Republic, 218. 

Arnold, Ripley A.., Lieutenant, 
attacked by Indians, 115. 

Arista, Mariano, Mexican Gen- 
eral, 155. 

Arthur, President, 326. 

Assiola, Indian Chief, 88. 

Atkinson, T. P., letter from Gen- 
eral Scott to, 153. 

Atristain, Senor, 216, 257. 

Azapotzalco, the place of meet- 
ing of the commissioners, 216. 

Baker, D. D., Lieutenant, 253. 

Baker, Edward D., Colonel, 
killed at Ball's Bluff, 317. 

Bankhead, James, Colonel, 112. 

Barcelona, the steamer, 146. 

Barker, Captain, 16. 

Barr, Captain, Louisiana volun- 
teers, lOI. 

Barragan, Pefia y, 221. 

Barron, Major, log. 

Basinger, William E., Lieuten- 
ant, 88. 

Battle on the Ouithlacoochee, 
90-92. 

Beall, Benjamin Lloyd, Major, 
172. 



338 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Beard, Joseph, Major, 95. 

Beauregard, P. T., Lieutenant, 
203. 

Beckwith, J. C, letter to, from 
General Scott, 154. 

Belknap, William G., 281, 

Benton, Thomas H., 159. 

Biddle, Richard, speech in Con- 
gress, 124-127. 

Binney, Horace, letter to Gen- 
eral Scott, 304. 

^lack Hawk War, the, 52, 55. 

Blockade of Southern ports, 
296, 297. 

Board of Army Officers, 47. 

Boerstler, Charles G., Colonel, 
27. 

Bolton, Commodore, 97. 

Bones, George, Captain, no. 

Botts, Benjamin, 5. 

Boyd, John Parker, General, at- 
tack on Fort Niagara, 24. 

Brady, Hugh, Major, 33; 
sketch of, 39. 

Brady, Thomas A., First-Lieu- 
tenant, 253. 

Brant, Indian, attacks Colonel 
Scott, 18, 19. 

Bravo, D. Nicholas, Mexican 
General, 225, 227. 

Brazos Santiago, 159. 

Brisbane, Abbott H., Colonel, 
112. 

Brooks, Horace, Captain, 225. 

Brown, Jacob, General, 27, 38- 
40. 

Bryant, Thomas S., Captain, 96. 

Buchanan, James, President, 
296, 326. 

Bull Run, 308. 



Burlington Heights, 28. 

Burnett, Ward B., Colonel, 209. 

Burnham, Major, 185. 

Burr, Aaron, 5-8. 

Burt, Captain, Louisiana vol- 
unteers, lOI. 

Butler, Pierce M,, Colonel, 112, 
115, 209. 

Butler, William O., General, 
244, 245, 256, 264. 

Cadwallader, George, General 
193, 206, 209, 210, 221, 226 
249. 

Caldwell, James N., Captain, 

215. 
Caldwell, Robert C, First-Lieu 

tenant, 253. 
Caledonia, British brig, 13. 
Calhoun, John C, 151. 
Call, Richard Keith, General, 

89. 
Cameron, Simon, 309, 314, 315, 

330. 
Canada political agitation, 2/2. 
Cano, D. Juan, Mexican Gener- 
al, 225. 
Caroline, the steamboat, 145. 
Casey, Silas, Captain, 207, 226. 
Cass, Lewis, 59, 66, 67, 76, 77. 
Cerro Gordo, the battle of, 176, 

190. 
Chandler, John, Colonel, attack 

on Fort George, 24. 
Chapultepec, battle of, 223, 22S. 
Charleston, S. C, furnii'.. s 

troops and supplies, 94. 
Chase, Secretary, 330. 
Chauncey, Isaac, Commodore, 

24, 28. 



INDEX. 



339 



Cherokee Indians, removal of, 
from Georgia, 129. 

Chesapeake, the, boarded by 
the Leopard, 6. 

Chesnut, Colonel, 95. 

Childs, Thomas, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 176, 194, 236. 

Chippewa, battle of, 32. 

Cholera among troops at Chi- 
cago, 56, 57. 

Chrysler's Farm, engagement at, 
29. 

Chrystie, John, Colonel, 14, 17. 

Cincinnati, Society of the, 42. 
1" City of Mexico, 195, 228. 

Civil war, beginning of, 295, 
296, 

Clarke, Henry Francis, Colonel, 
212, 249. 

Clay, Cassius M., 306. 

Clay, Henry, 145, 151. 

Clinch, Duncan L., General, 82, 
88, 93. 

Clinton, Governor, 42, 
•T Clifton, Captain, 112. 

Coffin, Captain, 19. 

Congress declares war against 
Great Britain, 13. 
'• Congress votes a medal to Gen- 
eral Scott, 42. 

Conner, Commodore, 165. 

Conto, Senor, 216, 257. 
-'- Cooper, Mark A., Major, 112, 
119. 
.<i'^- Coto, Senor, 216. 
S'l? Crane, Ichabod B., Colonel, 136. 

Crawford, William IL, 40. 

Cuevas, Senor, 257. 
' ' • Cummings, Arthur C, Captain, 

215- 

23 



Cunningham, Captain, 94. 
Gushing, Caleb, General, 281. 

Dade, Francis Langhorne, Ma- 
jor, killed, 88. 
Dallas, Commodore, 97. 
Davis, Edward, General, 312. 
Davis, Jefferson, 291. 
Dearborn, Henry, General, 14, 

23, 24. 

Dennis, Colonel, 29. 

Devlin, John S., acting quarter- 
master, 253. 

Dominguez commands Mexi- 
cans in American army, 237. 

Douglas, Stephen A., 303. 

Douglass, John M., Major, 112. 

Drum, Simon H., Captain, 220, 
225. 

Drummond, Lieutenant-General 
Sir Gordon, 34. 

Duane, James Chatham, Gen- 
eral, 305. 

Duel between Burr and Hamil- 
ton, 5. 

Dulaney, William, Major, 253. 

Duncan, James, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 108, 221, 271, 277, 
283, 286. 

Duval, William P., Governor, 
82. 

Eaton, J. H., Secretary of War, 
49, 50, 76, 82. 

Edson, Alvin, Captain, 165, 

Elliott, Lieutenant, plans de- 
struction of British brigs, 13. 

Eustis, Abram, Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, III, 113, 114. 

Expedition of Aaron Burr, 5, 6. 




340 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Fagan, John, Major, 75. 

Fanning, Alexander C. W., Ma- 
jor, 88. 

Farquhar, William, Captain, 
302. 

Farragut, Admiral D. G., 329. 

Fenwick, John R., Colonel, 16. 

Field, Thomas Y., Lieutenant, 

253. 
Fillmore, Millard, President, 

293- 

Finances of Mexico, 239. 

Finlay, Captain, 94. 

Florida War, 72, 87, 97-99, 112. 

Florida, army of, 115. 

Floyd, John B., 136, 298. 

Floyd, Robertson R., Captain, 
96. 

Fort Brooke, the army concen- 
trate there, 118. 

Fort Brown occupied by Gen- 
eral Taylor, 154. 

Fort Erie surrenders, 30 ; in- 
vested, 37. 

Fort George, attack on, 16, 17 ; 
storming of, 24. 

Fort Niagara, defeat of the Brit- 
ish at, 26. 

Foster, William Sewell, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, 102. 

Frazer, William, Captain, 88. 

Freeman, Norvell, Lieutenant, 

253. 
Fremont, John C, General, 308. 
Frontera, Mexican General, 207, 

208. 

Gadsden, James, Colonel, 75. 
Gaines, Edmimd, General, 48, 
103. 



Gaines, J. P., Major, 250. 

Gamboa, D. Manuel, Mexican 
General, 225. 

Gardiner, George, 88. 

Gardner, Charles K., Lieuten- 
ant, II. 

Gardner, Franklin, 175. 

Garland, John, General, 220, 
221. 

Gatlin, John Slade, Dr., 88. 

Georgia troops, 95, 96, no. 

Gibson, Captain, 18. ' 

Giles, William B., 5-7. 

Goodwyn, Robert H., Colonel, 
1 1 2-1 16. 

Graham, Captain, no. 

Graham, William A., Secretary 
of the Navy, 293. 

Grant, Ulysses S., General, 322, 

329, 334- 
Great Britain, war declared 

against, 11. 
Greenway, James, Dr., 3, 
Griffin, Charles, Captain, 302. 
Guadalupe Hidalgo, text of 

treaty of, 257, 264. 

Fiagner, Peter V., Captain, 225. 

lialleck, Henry W., General, 
308. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 5. 

Hamilton, John C, 292. 

Hamilton, Schuyler, Lieuten- 
ant, 250. 

Hampton, Wade, General, 7, 9- 
12, 28. 

Hardy, Sir Thomas, 6. 

Hargrave, James, 4. 

Harney, John, Governor, 142- 
144. 



INDEX. 



341 



Harney, William S., Colonel, 
186, 224. 

Harris, Captain, 33. 

Harris, Joseph W., Lieutenant, 
83. 

Harrison, William Henry, Gen- 
eral, 152. 

Haskell, William T., Colonel, 
166. 

Hayes, Rutherford B., Presi- 
dent, 326, 329. 

Heileman, Julius Frederick, 
Major, 65, 66. 

Henderson, Charles A., Lieu- 
tenant, 253. 

Henderson, Richard, Lieuten- 
ant, 88. 

Henry, Alexander, letter to Gen- 
eral Scott, 304. 

Henry, George, Captain, 115. 

Hernandez, John M,, General, 
96. 

Herrera, General, 216. 

Hetzel, Abner R., Captain, 135. 

Hindman, Jacob, Major, 30, 39. 

Hitchcock, Ethan A., Captain, 
100, 164, 284. 

Holata, Amathla, 75, 77, 78, 79. 

Huger, Benjamin, Captain, 220, 
224. 

Hull, William, General, 13. 

Hunt, Henry J., Lieutenant, 
221. 

Ingersoll, Charles J., 153, 
Irish prisoners, 20. 
Irving, Washington, 5. 
Izard, George, Colonel, 13. 
Izard, James Farley, Lieuten- 
ant, loi, 102. 



Jackson, Andrew, General, 5, 
40, 42, 46, 63, 151. 

Jackson, Thoma- J., Lieutenant, 
226. 

Jacobs, Captain (Indian), at- 
tacks General Scott, 18, 19. 

Jefferson, Thomas, President, 7. 

Jesup, Thomas S., General, 31, 
33, 39, 122, 123. 

Johnston, Joseph E., Colonel, 
226. 

Juarata, Padre, leader of guer- 
rillas, 237. 

Judd, Henry, Jr., Lieutenant, 
172. 

Kearney, Philip, Captain, 211. 
Keayes, J. S., Lieutenant, 88. 
Ke-o-Kuck, Indian chief, 58. 
Ker, Croghan, Captain, Louisi- 
ana volunteers, 107. 
Ker, William H., Captain, lOi. 
Keyes, Erastus D., Lieutenant, 

135. 
King, William R., 293. 
Kirby, Reynold M., Major, 94, 

115. 

Lally, Follict T., Major, 215, 
216. 

Landero, Jos^ Juan de, Mexican 
General, 169, 170. 

Lane, Joseph, General, 237, 
256. 

Lang, William, Captain, 253. 

Lawson, Thomas, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, loi. 

Leavenworth, Henry, Major, 31, 

33. 
Lee, Robert E., Captain, loi. 



342 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



164, 175, 203, 208, 223, 225, 

284, 305. 
Leigh, Benjamin Watkins, 10, 

70. 
Lendrum, Thomas W., 88. 
Leon, Mexican General, 219. 
" Leonidas letter," the, 267, 287. 
Leopard, British frigate, 6. 
Lewis, Morgan, General, 26. 
Lincoln, Abraham, President, 

296, 301, 312, 313, 315, 316, 

326. 
Lindsay, William, Colonel, iii, 

135. 

Lobas Island, 161. 

Loring, William W., Major, 206, 
212. 

Louisiana troops. 119. 

I^ovell, Christopher H., Lieu- 
tenant, 280. 

Lundy's Lane, battle of, 34- 
36. 

McCauley, Charles G., Lieuten- 
ant, 253. 

McClellan, George B., General, 
178, 206, 308. 

McClure, Brigadier - General, 
New York militia, 28. 

McComb, Alexander, Colonel, 
24, 29, 50, 153. 

McDonald, Adjutant, 146. 

McDowell, Irwin, General, 307. 

McDuffie, George, 61-63. 

McFeely, George, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 24. 

Mcintosh, James S., Colonel, 
193, 220. 

McKenzie, Colonel, 226. 

McLemore, Captain, no, 112. 



McNeill, John, Jr., General, 31, 

33, 39- 

McRee, William, Colonel, 39. 

McTavish, Carroll, 41. 

Mackall, William W., Major, 
227. 

Madison, James, President, 22. 

Magee, Captain, Louisiana vol- 
unteers, lOI. 

Magruder, John B., Lieutenant, 
206, 226, 302. 

Malone, Captain, 119. 

Mansfield, Mr., British Minister, 
II. 

Marcy, William L., 146, 158, 
159, 269. 

Marks, George H., Captain, 113. 

Marks, Samuel F., Captain, loi. 

Marshall, General, 245-248. 

Marshall, John, Chief-Justice, 
136. 

Martin Luther, 5. 

Mason, Captain, 286. 

Mason, Daniel, 3. 

Mason, James M., 321. 

Mason, Winfield, 3. 

Massacre of General Thompson 
and others, 89. 

May, James F., 5. 

Mayo, John, Colonel, 41. 

Mendoza, Mexican General, 205, 
207. 

Mico, Indian chief, 78. 

Miconopy, Indian chief, 78. 

Miller, James, Colonel, 25. 

Mississippi River, free naviga- 
tion of, 310. 

Molino del Rey, battle of, 219- 
222. 

Monroe, James, President, 22. 



. I 



INDEX. 



343 



Monterde, D. Mariano, Mexican 
General, 225. 

Morales, Mexican General, 168, 
169. 

Morgan, George W., Colonel, 
208. 

Mormon expedition, 294. 

Morris, Charles T., Captain, 207. 

Mount Vernon, 316,317. 

Mudge, Robert Richard, Lieu- 
tenant, 88. 

Mullaney, James Robert, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, 16. 

Nashville, Confederate steamer, 
320. 

Negroes engaged in Dade mas- 
sacre, III. 

Nicholson, Augustus S., Lieu- 
tenant, 253. 

Nicholson, John S., Lieutenant, 

253- 

Nueva de Villa Gutierrez, Colo- 
nel, 170. 

Nullification in South Carolina, 
61-64. 

Ogilvie, James, Captain, 4-17. 
O'Riley, commander of desert- 
ers, captured, 237, 238. 

Pachuca occupied, 248. 
Packenham, Sir Richard, 151. 
Paez, General, 48. 
Page, Captain, 135. 
Palo Alto, battle of, 155. 
Parish, Richard C, Colonel, 90. 
Patterson, Robert. General, 245. 
Payne, Matthew M., Major, 135. 
Payne's Landing, treaty of, 74. 
Pena y Pefia, 236, 257. 



Perez, Mexican General, 208- 

219. 
Perry, Matthew C, Commodore, 

169. 
Perry, Oliver Hazard, Captain, 

14, 24. 
Pierce, Franklin, General, 207, 

214, 292, 293. 
Pike, Zebulon, General, 24. 
Pillow, Gideon J., General, 170, 

176, 193, 211, 224, 226, 276, 

2S1. 
Plympton, Joseph, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 208, 220. 
Porter, Captain, 25. 
Porter, Moses, General, 24, 30. 
Porter, W., Secretary to General 

Gaines, 108. 
Prevost, Sir George, 26, 27. 
Puebla, occupation of, 197. 
Putnam, Benjamin A., Major, 

93. 
Putnam, General, 5. 

Queenstown Heights, storming 
of, 15. 

Quijano, Benito, Mexican com- 
missioner, 214. 

Quitman, John A., General, 172, 
204, 206, 224, 226, 228, 280. 

Randolph, John, k. 
Rangel, Mexican General, 219. 
Rea, Mexican General, 236. 
Read, Leigh, Colonel, 90, 113. 
Resaca de la Palma, battle of, 

155- 
Ravenel, Captain, 94. 
Reynolds, E. McD., Lieutenant, 

253- 



344 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Reynolds, John G., Captain, 253. 

Riall, General, moves to Bur- 
lington Heights, 33. 

Rich, Jabez L., Lieutenant, 253. 

Ridgely, S. C, Captain, 281. 

Riley, Bennet, General, 206, 
208, 209. 

Ripley, Eleazer W., 39. 

Ripley, R. S., Lieutenant, 185. 

Roach, Isaac, Jr., Lieutenant, 
13, 16. 

Robertson, Judge, 302, 303. 

Robinson, David, Judge, 4. 

Robinson, Edward B., Captain, 
no. 

Robles, Mexican Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 170. 

Rogers, A. P., Lieutenant, 166. 

Rogers, Captain Louisiana vol- 
unteers, lOI. 

Rosecrans, William S., General, 
308, 329. 

Ruffin, Thomas, 5. 

Sacs and Fox Indians, treaty 

with, 58. 
Sackett's Harbor, landing of the 

British, 27. 
Sanders, William G., Captain, 

107. 
Sands, Richard M., Major, 10 r. 
San Jacinto, steamer, 321. 
San Pablo, convent of, 212. 
San Patricio Battalion, 237. 
Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez, 

General, 156, 173, 175, 190, 

206, 209, 225, 230, 231, 236, 

256, 257. 
Scott, Ann, 3. 
Scott, Camilla, 41. 



Scott, Cornelia, 41. 

Scott, Henry L., Colonel, 135, 
164, 178, 284. 

Scott, James, death of, i, 2. 

Scott, Winfield, birth and par- 
entage, I ; runs away from 
Sunday school, 2 ; defends 
his teacher ; at William and 
Mary College, 4 ; enters on 
the practice of law ; present at 
the trial of Aaron Burr, 5 ; at- 
tacks British camp at Lynn 
Haven Bay ; goes to South 
Carolina to practice law ; re- 
turns to Petersburg, Va., to 
practice law ; joins Petersburg 
cavalry company, 6 ; receives 
commission as Captain in the 
U. S. army ; recruits his com- 
pany and embarks for New 
Orleans, 7 ; arrested and tried 
by court-martial for words 
spoken of General Wilkinson, 
8 ; tenders his resignation, 8 ; 
finding of the court, 9 ; letter 
to Lewis Edwards, 10 ; re- 
joins the army at Baton Rouge, 
La, ; embarks for Washing- 
ton ; vessel gets aground, 11 ; 
appointed Colonel ; visits the 
Secretary of War with Gen- 
eral Hampton ; an unpleasant 
incident, 12 ; war with Great 
Britain ; ordered to the Ni- 
agara frontier, 13 ; volunteers 
to cross the Niagara ; marches 
to Lewiston, 16 ; the attack 
on Fort George, 17 ; a flag of 
truce, 18 ; a prisoner, and at- 
tacked by Indians ; embarks 



INDEX. 



345 



for Boston, 19 ; addresses 
Irish prisoners ; letter to Sec- 
retary of War, 20 ; selects 
hostages in retaliation for 
Irish prisoners, 21 ; returns 
to Washington, 22 ; ordered 
to Philadelphia ; appointed 
Adjutant General ; promoted 
Colonel of his regiment ; 
joms General Dearborn, and 
appointed chief of staff, 23 ; 
assault on Fort George ; Scott 
leads the advance, 24 ; struck 
by a piece of timber and col- 
lar bone broken, 25 ; anecdote 
of a British officer, 26 ; re- 
signs the office of Adjutant 
General, 27 ; joins General 
Wilkinson, 28 ; marches for 
Sackett's Harbor ; appointed 
to command of a battalion ; 
preparing new levies of 
troops, 29 ; appointed Briga- 
dier General ; ordered to join 
General Jacob Brown ; estab- 
lishes camp of instruction at 
Sackett's Harbor ; assigned 
to a new command ; moves 
toward Chippewa, 30 ; wins 
the battle of Chippewa ; re- 
port of General Brown, 32 ; 
moves to mouth of the Ni- 
agara, 33 ; battle of Lundy's 
Lane, 34, 35 ; General Scott 
disabled, 37-39 ; in command 
for defense of Philadelphia 
and Baltimore, 39 ; reception 
at Princeton ; declined to act 
as Secretary of War ; ordered 
to Europe, 40 ; receives at- 



tention in Europe ; return 
home ; headquarters in New 
York ; married to Miss Mayo, 
of Richmond ; names of his 
children, 41 ; Congress passes 
resolutions complimenting 
him ; present at the death of 
President Monroe ; thanked 
by Legislatures of Virginia 
and New York ; honorary 
member of the Society of the 
Cincinnati ; order of General 
Jackson, 42 ; letter of General 
Jackson to General Scott ; 
his reply, 43 ; letter to Gen- 
eral Jackson, 44 ; General 
Jackson's reply ; Scott calls on 
General Jackson, 45 ; tribute 
to General Jackson ; his work 
on general regulations for the 
army, 46 ; president of board 
of army and militia officers ; 
publication of his work on in- 
fantry tactics ; the temper- 
ance reform ; his views on, 
47 ; controversy with General 
Gaines ; tenders his resigna- 
tion ; not accepted, 48 ; let- 
ter to Secretary of War ; the 
Secretary's reply, 49 ; as- 
signed to command of East- 
ern Department ; treaty with 
Sac Indians, ^o ; ordered to 
Illinois ; Asiatic cholera, 53 ; 
letter to Governor Reynolds, 
54 ; newspaper extracts in re- 
gard to General Scott's action 
in the cholera epidemic, 55- 
57 ; commissioner to treat 
with Indians ; result of the 



346 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



treaty, 58 ; arrives in New 
York, and ordered to Wash- 
ington ; the tariff act of 1828 
and excitement in South 
Carolina, 60 ; ordered to 
South Carolina, 66 ; letter of 
instruction from Secretary of 
War ; arrival in Charleston, 
66, 67 ; detained by accident, 
68 ; success of his mission, 
71 ; ordered to immediate 
command in Florida, 98 ; 
disposition of troops, iio- 
112; movement of troops, 
114 ; the army arrives at 
Tampa Bay, 117; arrival at 
Fort Brooke, 118 ; embarks 
on St. John's River, 120 ; com- 
plaint against General Jesup ; 
court of inquiry on Florida 
campaign, 122 ; finding of the 
court ; letter to Secretary of 
War, 123 ; defense in Con- 
gress, 124; tendered dinner 
in New York ; declines, 127 ; 
ordered io remove the Creek 
Indians, 129 ; addresses to 
troops and Indians, 130, 132, 
133 ; the Indians move West, 
135 ; ordered to look after 
Canada insurgents, 139 ; or- 
dered to Maine, 140 ; meets 
Governor Everett ; proceeds 
to Portland, 141 ; settlement 
of the troubles, 143, 144 ; up- 
rising in Upper Canada ; af- 
fair of the Caroline, 144, 145 ; 
ordered to the scene of the 
troubles ; meets Governor 
Marcy, 146 ; letter to com- 



manding officer of British ves- 
sels, 147 ; the affair settled, 
147, 148 ; his name presented 
to Whig Convention as candi- 
date for the presidency, 152 ; 
effort in Congress to reduce 
his pay ; letter to T. P. At- 
kinson on slavery, 153 ; let- 
ter to peace convention, 154; 
the War with Mexico; the 
"hasty plate of soup," 157; 
his opinion of General Tay- 
lor ; ordered to Mexico ; goes 
via New Orleans, 158 ; ar- 
rives at Brazos Santiago, 159 ; 
fails to meet General Taylor, 
161 ; landing of the troops at 
Vera Cruz, 162 ; investment 
and surrender of Vera Cruz, 
164-170; advances on Jala- 
pa, 173 ; Cerro Gordo, 178, 
179. 187 ; occupation of Pueb- 
^a» 193 ; movement toward 
the City of Mexico ; criticism 
by the Duke of Wellington, 
195, 196 ; address to Mexican 
people, 198 ; movement on 
and capture of Padiema, 204- 
207; Churubusco, 211; ar- 
rival of Nicholas P. Trist, U. 
S. Commissioner, 213 ; cessa- 
tion of hostilities by armis- 
tice, 214 ; the annistice end- 
ed, 218 ; Molino del Rey, 219- 
222 ; attack on and capture 
of Chapultepec, 226, 227 ; oc- 
cupation of the capital ; or- 
ders for government of the 
city, 229 ; additional orders, 
231-234 ; orders for obtain- 



INDEX. 



347 



ing revenue in Mexico, 240- 
242 ; letter to Secretary of 
War, 243 ; his civil adminis- 
tration of Mexico, 246, 247 ; 
reports his total force, Janu- 
ary 6, 1848 ; ordered before 
a court of inquiry ; relieved 
from command of the army, 
248 ; money levied on City of 
Mexico, 255 ; turns over com- 
mand of the army, 264 ; Gen- 
eral Orders No. 349, 270 ; let- 
ter to General Worth, 272 ; 
relieved from duty, 277, 278 ; 
reads a paper before the court 
of inquiry, 281, 282 ; submits 
paper to court of inquiry, 
284 ; embarks at Vera Cruz 
for home, 288 ; receives 
thanks of Congress, 289 ; dis- 
content in Canada, 293 ; can- 
didate for the presidency 
(1852), 293 ; on commission 
to settle boundary line with 
Great Britain, 295 ; letter to 
President Buchanan, 296, 
297 ; letter to Secretary of 
War, 297, 298 ; letter to Sec- 
retary of War, December 28, 
1861, 298 ; letter to Secretaiy 
Seward, March 3, 1861, 299 ; 
firing of guns' at Mobile on 
announcement that he had 
resigned, 304 ; order of April 
26, 1 861, at Washington, D. 
C, 306 ; issues General Orders 
No. 17, 308 ; complains of 
General McClellan, 309 ; re- 
quest to be placed on retired 
list, 311, 312 ; addresses the 



President and Cabinet on his 
retirement, 313 ; sails for 
Europe, November 9, 1861, 
318 ; army asylum fund, 323 ; 
statue of, at Soldiers' Home, 
327 ; his death and last words, 
329 ; his acquaintance with 
English authors, 331 ; advice 
to young army officer, 330, 
331 ; anecdote of battle of 
Chippewa, 332 ; vain of his 
accomplishments ; regular at- 
tendant at the Episcopal 
Church, 332 ; goes to West 
Point, 328 ; his loyalty, his 
strict ideas of discipline ; an- 
ecdote, 333. 

Sears, Henry B., Lieutenant, 
215. 

Secretary of War to General 
Gaines, 100. 

Seminole council, 85. 

Seward, Secretary, anecdote of 
General Scott, 330. 

Shannon, Samuel, Captain, 102. 

Shaw, H. B., Major, 135. 

SheafFe, General Sir Roger Hale, 
17-19. 

Shelton, Joseph, General, 116. 

Sheridan, Philip H., General, 
326. 

Sherman, William T., General, 
326. 

Shields, James, General, 176, 
207, 209, 280. 

Shubrick, William B., Commo- 
dore, 238. 

Sibley, Henry H., Captain, 212. 

Simms, John D., Lieutenant, 
253. 



348 



GENERAL SCOTT. 



Slidell, John, 321. 
Small, William F., Captain, 236. 
Smith, Charles F., Captain, 221. 
Smith, Colonel, Louisiana vol- 
unteers, loi, 118. 
Smith, Constantine, Lieutenant, 

89. 
Smith, E. Kirby, Captain, 221. 
Smith, Gustavus W., Lieutenant, 

207. 

Smith, Persifor F,, Colonel, loi, 

112, 206, 208, 209, 211, 214, 

227. 

Smyth, Alexander, General, 14. 

Soldiers' Home at Washington, 

323, 324, 326. 
Soto, Don Juan, Governor of 

Vera Cruz, 215. 
Steptoe, Edward J., Captain, 

223. 
Stone, Charles P., General, 301, 

318. 
Strahan, Captain, 17. 
Sumner, Edwin V., Major, 175, 

211, 220, 221, 224. 
Sutherland, David J., Lieuten- 
ant, 253. 
Swift, Joseph G., Colonel, 28. 

Tampico letter, the, 267, 268. 
Tariff of 1828 and trouble in 

South Carolina, 60. 
Taylor, ' Francis, Captain, 135, 

223. 
Taylor, Governor, of South 

Carolina, 61. 
Taylor, Zachary, General, 154, 

2S9. 
Tazewell, Littleton W., 5. 
Temperance reform, 47. 



Terrett, George H., Captain, 

253- 
Texas, causes which led to an- 
nexation, 149, 154. 
Thistle, Captain, Louisiana vol- 
unteers, lOI. 
Thomas, James H., Colonel, 173. 
Thompson, General, Indian 

agent, 79. 
Thompson, Launt, 327. 
Thurston, Charles Myron, Cap- 
tain, no. 
Timrod, Captain, 94. 
Totten, Joseph G., Colonel, 17, 

18, 28, 164. 
Towson, Captain, ordered to re- 
port to St. Elliott, 13, 16, 33, 
37. 
Towson, Nathan, General, 281. 
Trent, affair of the, 321. 
Tripp, T. S., Captain, 115. 
Trist, Nicholas P., commission- 
er, 213, 216, 257, 281. 
Trousdale, William, Colonel, 

226. 
Truxton, Commodore, 5. 
Tweedale, Marquis of, crosses 

the Chippewa, 30. 
Twiggs, David E., General, loi, 

173. 176, 193, 20t), 220. 
Twiggs, Levi, Major, 253. 
Tyler, John, President, 152. 

Upshur, Abel P., Secretary of 
State, 151. 

Valencia, Mexican General, 204, 

211, 248. 
Van Buren, Martin, President, 

145. 



INDEX. 



349 



Van Rensselaer, Colonel, 144. 

Van Rensselaer, Solomon, Gen- 
eral, 14, 17. 

Van Rensselaer, Stephen, Gen- 
eral, 14, 16, 18. 

Van Vliet, Stewart, General, 328. 

Vera Cruz, 161, 162, 167, 171. 

Villamil, Mora y., General, 214, 
216, 257, 

Vincent, General, 27. 

Vinton, John R , Colonel, 166. 

Volunteer American officers pa- 
roled, 19. 

Wadsworth, Decius, General, 15. 

Walker, Robert J., 159. 

Washington, George, General, 5. 

Watson, Samuel E , Lieutenant- 
Colonel, 253, 

" Wayward Sisters " letter, 299, 
300. 

Webb, Captain, U. S. N., 97. 

Webster, Daniel, 293. 

Weed, Thurlow, 318. 

Wellington, Duke of, 195. 

W^elsh, Henry, Lieutenant, 253. 

Wheelock, Eleazer, General, 30. 

Wilkes, Charles, Commodore, 
321. 



Wilkinson, James, General, 7, 

8,28. 
William and Mary College, 4. 
Williams, Captain, Louisiana 

volunteers, loi. 
Williams, T., A.-D.-C, 250. 
Wilson, Henry, Colonel, 173. 
Wilson, James Grant, General, 

327, 328, 335. 
Winder, William Henry, Gen- 
eral, 24, 27. 
Winfield, Elizabeth, 3. 
Winfield, John, 3. 
Wirt, William, 5. 
Withers, Jones M., 248. 
Wood, Major, 37. 
Wool, John E., Captain, 15-17. 
Worth, W. J., General, 136, 170, 

174, 193, 265-267, 270, 271, 

273, 274-276, 285. 
Wright, George, Major, 220. 
Wynkoop, Francis M., Colonel, 

166, 248. 

Young, William L., Lieutenant, 

253- 

Zacatepetl, Barreiro, Colonel, 
205. 



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